No one can say with 100% certainty that the Cleveland Browns would have won the AFC divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs if the Rashard Higgins fumble had not happened.
What they can say is that play impacted the flow and momentum of the game.
It also caused a 10 point swing in favor of the Chiefs.
The Browns were in the red zone about to score a touchdown, and after the rule was implemented the Chiefs scored a field goal.
In an interview with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo of SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt talked about the play.
“I do think the Competition Committee will look at that rule this year. A lot of times it takes a catalyst play in an important game for the Competition Committee to dig in and think about changing a rule that’s been around for a long time. And certainly that play hurt the Browns, helped the Chiefs, had an impact on the course of the game so I do think there’s a good chance it’ll be looked at. I don’t know where the Committee will come down but I can see arguments on both sides.”
The Play
Rashard Higgins' fumble led to discussions regarding the NFL's touchback and helmet-to-helmet rules https://t.co/8NMHtzfBVX
— Tony (@Tony_Cleveland) January 18, 2021
Before we talk about the rule, let’s just get one thing out of the way.
The helmet-to-helmet penalty should have been called.
Perhaps this rule would not be under so much scrutiny if that happened.
The Rule
Because Higgins fumbled the ball before going into the end zone, it was considered a touchback so the Chiefs got the ball on the Browns 25 yard line.
To be fair, Browns fans were not the only ones outraged by this rule.
there are two kinds of people: those who hate the fumble touchback rule and people who are wrong
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) January 17, 2021
Washington Football Team’s defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio also took to Twitter immediately to express his disgust with the rule.
https://twitter.com/coachdelrio/status/1350931841088425985
https://twitter.com/coachdelrio/status/1350938031394615298
Rules can be changed, and there is a recent example of a rule change following an egregious pass interference penalty that was not called by the officials in the NFC Championship.
The Sean Payton Rule
Payton, the head coach of the New Orleans Saints and a member of the competition committee, spearheaded a rule change following the 2019 season.
It allows teams to challenge non-pass interference penalties.
Recall that the Saints were robbed of a blatant pass interference penalty in the 2018 NFC Championship against the Los Angeles Rams.
Had Payton been allowed to challenge the lack of a call, the outcome of that game could have changed, sending the Saints to the Super Bowl.
Conclusion
There is documented history of rules being changed as a result of events happening in NFL playoff games.
With that being said, time will tell if this fumble-touchback rule is reevaluated and changed.
Perhaps while they are at it, the competition committee should consider implementing a rule for non-helmet-to-helmet calls also.
Following the lead of the Sean Payton rule, this would give coaches the ability to stop the game to get an obvious penalty play reviewed.
If the NFL is truly concerned about player safety, reviewing non helmet-to-helmet plays should be strongly considered.
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