NFL explains call on Myles Jack’s fumble recovery versus Patriots

Did the referees take a fumble return touchdown away from Myles Jack in the fourth quarter of Sunday's AFC Championship Game? That's a question that will be mulled over and debated for some time, especially in Jacksonville.

The Patriots trailed the Jags 20-10 with just less than 14 minutes remaining in the final period when Tom Brady fired a backward pass to Danny Amendola near the right numbers on first down. Amendola took four steps forward before hurling another backward pass across the field to running back Dion Lewis, who, with offensive lineman in front of him, burst ahead for a 20-yard gain.

Jack, the Jags linebacker, eventually chased down Lewis, and while tackling him, miraculously stripped the ball away and gained possession for a fumble without letting the ball hit the turf. Jack immediately stood up and started sprinting the other way, indicating he didn't believe he was touched. However, the referees whistled the play dead and ruled Jack down by contact. Jack slammed the ball down in frustration and disagreement.

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The play was then reviewed, but by rule, there was no possibility of the ball being advanced on the fumble return, an NFL spokesman told the Daily News in an email. Once the referees blow the whistle, the play is dead, and that doesn't change, even if replay indicates otherwise.

The replay does appear to show that Jack wasn't touched by Lewis - or any other Patriot - after gaining full possession of the fumble. But the referees were not looking for that. They were only looking at whether the fumble occurred before Lewis was down by contact, and the replay confirmed that fact.

"It was a judgment call," NFL VP of Football Communications Michael Signora said in the email. "The ruling on the field was a fumble, recovered by the defense. Because a whistle was blown, there could be no advance of the fumble, and that ended the play. Replay was used to determine if in fact it was a fumble and/or if the player (Lewis) was down by contact, but no advance of the fumble could be added at this point."

If the referees hadn't blown their whistles, Jack could have returned the fumble for a touchdown, making it a 27-10 game with around 13:30 left in regulation. Instead, the Jaguars offense went three-and-out after the fumble and punted back to the Patriots, who scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive to cut the Jags' lead to three points.

The referees did their jobs correctly, according to the NFL rulebook. But as we all know, the NFL rulebook does not always mandate the most logical approach.

Referees, in theory, should always avoid blowing a play dead unless they are 100% sure the player was down by contact. That way, the proper call can always be enacted after a replay review.

The Jaguars, it seems, were gypped on this one.