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Alex Smith Explains Move That Bought Washington Extra Time for First-Half Field Goal

In Tuesday’s Hot Clicks: how Alex Smith stopped the clock to get Washington on the board, a wild MLS playoff game and more.

Dan Gartland

Was he trying to pull a fast one?

A cheeky move by veteran quarterback Alex Smith at the end of the first half was very nearly the difference in Washington’s surprise upset of the Steelers. But Smith claims it wasn’t anything nefarious. 

Trailing 14–0 in the closing seconds of the first half, Smith took a sack at the Pittsburgh 31-yard line with 19 seconds on the clock. It was fourth down and Washington had no timeouts, so there was no way to stop the clock to get the field goal unit on to try to get on the board. 

The clock did stop, though, because there was no ball on the field. Where was it? In Smith’s hands as he ran off the field. 

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Referee John Hussey announced that the clock had been stopped due to an “administrative issue” because the “K-ball” used by NFL teams on kicking plays “was not near where we needed to bring it in.” The clock was stopped while a ball was located and spotted, giving the Washington field goal operation time to get set. Dustin Hopkins then kicked it through from 49 yards out to make it 14–3. 

Fox officiating expert Dean Blandino explained that in situations where time is of the essence and the offense is rushing the field goal unit on the field, referees are instructed not to bother with getting a K-ball. They just use the ball that was already in play. In this case, Smith had absconded with it, hence the confusion. 

It seemed like a crafty veteran move by Smith, exploiting a loophole in NFL rules and game management procedures (like Mike Vrabel's intentionally taking a too-many-men penalty) to ensure Washington got some points on the board before the end of the half. 

Not so fast, Smith said. He told reporters after the game that he was just trying to speed the game along. 

“I knew we were going hurry up, field goal, I was pretty upset with myself for taking the sack at that point but I was running off to trying to get that ball off so they could get the K-ball on,” Smith said.

“Because usually that happens very seamlessly with the changeover, but from what I understand talking to the refs I think there was a little bit of a problem with the COVID, there's less people on the sidelines, less ball boys and that wasn't as fluid,” he added. 

That sounds like a reasonable enough explanation, but wouldn’t Smith, who’s been in the NFL for 15 seasons, know that the officials don’t rush a K-ball on the field in situations like this? In the opinion of former NFL ref Terry McAulay, now NBC’s rules expert, Smith got away with a big blunder. 

According to McAulay, if there was no ball available because a Washington player removed it from the field, that delay in spotting the ball is Washington’s fault and the team should not be allowed to benefit from it. The umpire, Roy Ellison, shouldn’t have stopped the clock, McAulay said on Twitter. 

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This sequence could have been a lot more controversial if the game turned out just a little bit differently. Washington ended up winning 23–17. Hopkins kicked a field goal with 2:07 left to play to take the lead and added another with just 17 seconds on the clock to make it a six-point game. Can you imagine if Washington hadn’t scored that late field goal and the first-half clock management ended up being what ended Pittsburgh’s perfect season? 

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Published
Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

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