Jets tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins appeared to score his second touchdown of Sunday's game against the Patriots in the fourth quarter, but officials overturned the call upon replay review, much to the dismay of NFL fans.
Not only did the officials say Seferian-Jenkins did not score, but they also ruled that he fumbled the ball out of bounds through the end zone for a touchback, giving the ball back to the Patriots.
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There was at lot of reaction to the play, and people weren't happy with how the officials made their decision. Most of the anger didn't come from the fact that they ruled it a non-touchdown, but because they said Jenkins fumbled the ball.
I don’t understand how that isn’t a TD for Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Patriots have benefitted significantly from some questionable calls.
— Ryan Talbot (@RyanTalbotBills) October 15, 2017
Referee explains Austin Seferian-Jenkins play
After the game, referee Tony Corrente defended his crew's decision:
"The final shot we saw was from the end zone that showed the New York Jets' runner, we'll call him a runner at that point, with the football starting to go toward the ground," Corrente said. "He lost the ball. It came out of his control as he was almost to the ground. Now he re-grasps the ball and by rule, now he has to complete the process of recovery, which means he has to survive the ground again. So in recovering it, he recovered, hit the knee, started to roll and the ball came out a second time. So the ball started to move in his hands this way ... he's now out of bounds in the end zone, which now created a touchback. So he didn't survive the recovery and didn't survive the ground during the recovery is what happened here."
Jets players didn't agree with the ref's decision, and they were angry and confused after the game.
Jets CB Buster Skrine: “I’ve never seen somebody called for a fumble when they’re still holding the ball.”
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) October 15, 2017
Jets CB Mo Claiborne on the ASJ “fumble”: “A touchback was the furthest thing from my mind. I still don’t understand that call.”
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) October 15, 2017
Jets WR Jermaine Kearse on the ASJ “fumble”: “I thought it was a B.S. call.”
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) October 15, 2017
Fox Sports analyst Mike Pereira, a former NFL vice president of officiating, said when the play was being reviewed that he didn't believe there was enough to overturn the touchdown call.
