The rules have been quite clear — if you don't complete the catch all the way through hitting the ground, it's an incomplete pass.
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Despite that notion, Jesse James' non-catch, there was plenty of controversy around the ending between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. After James' touchdown was overturned, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception on a wacky final play and the Patriots survived, 27-24.
Quarterback Tom Brady spoke on the play Monday morning, and his take wasn't uncommon:
"I saw it on the big screen, probably the angle they saw, and as soon as I saw it I felt like he obviously didn't ... survive the ground." -- Tom Brady, on @KirkAndCallahan, on overturned Steelers TD
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 18, 2017
After the game, Roethlisberger was clear on the final play — it wasn't his fault:
Ben Roethlisberger says there was a difference of opinion on #Steelers final play. "It wasn't a fake spike. I was yelling 'clock it' b/c I felt that was the thing to do, to clock it and get yourself one play. And it came from the sideline: 'Don't clock it, don't clock it.'"
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 18, 2017
The Patriots moved into the No. 1 seed in the AFC with the victory.
