SI

Jaguars Get Away With Questionable Catch on Scoring Drive vs. Bears

The Jaguars may have gotten away with a fast one here.

Josh Wilson

Thomas appeared to use the ground to control the ball
Thomas appeared to use the ground to control the ball / BadSportsRefs on X
In this story:

Yes, it's early, but no, you're not seeing things: It appears as if the Jacksonville Jaguars may have gotten away with a reception on their first drive against the Chicago Bears that should have been called an incompletion. Trevor Lawrence threw to Brian Thomas Jr., and he caught the ball off-balance. Falling to the ground, Thomas used the ball to keep himself upright as he was still securing it.

The NFL rulebook's definition of a catch stipulates that the ball must be secured by a player before it hits the ground and the player must complete a football play or maintain control of the ball long enough to complete a football play. Otherwise, it's incomplete.

At the very least, this one is worth another look:

The Jaguars quickly got to the line of scrimmage and ran another play before the Bears could challenge the play and force the officials to take a closer look.

Later in the drive, the Jaguars scored on a field goal attempt after Gabe Davis dropped a catchable end zone pass from Trevor Lawrence. Ball don't lie?

More of the Latest Around the NFL

feed

Published
Josh Wilson
JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.

Home/NFL