Why Bill Belichick didn’t challenge Patrick Mahomes’ apparent interception in Kansas City

Midway through the second quarter of Monday’s 26-10 loss at Kansas City, Patriots outside linebacker Shilique Calhoun ran up the sideline with the football all alone.

Calhoun was alone because to the surprise of many, the play, an apparent third-down interception, had already been blown dead.

According to referee Tony Corrente, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had been corralled to the point of “being controlled” before he lost possession during the sack, which led Corrente to blow his whistle a few seconds later. Mahomes was tackled by Pats linebacker Chase Winovich from behind and cocked his arm as he was driven forward, when defensive lineman Deatrich Wise knocked the ball free and into Calhoun’s grasp, all within the span of a second and a half.

Bill Belichick lit into the officials after the play, which appeared to be a sack and an interception

“He called him down,” Belichick said after the game. “He called forward progress.”

Belichick did not challenge because once a player’s forward progress is ruled stopped, the play is whistled dead and cannot be challenged.

Below is a transcript of the post-game interview conducted by pool reporter Adam Teicher with Corrente.

Question: Why was in the grasp called (on a 3rd-and-4 play with 6:22 remaining in the second quarter)? It looked like the quarterback was on his way to the ground as the ball was coming out.

Corrente: “I felt that he was being controlled quite a bit prior to him actually going to the ground. And as he was being controlled, other players were coming in at him. And so with those other players baring down on him, a quarterback is considered in the grasp and his forward progress is considered stopped when I feel as though the player’s safety is being jeopardized. And that was the case in this instance. So, rather than allow him to get hit by a second and third player, we shut it down and considered it forward progress at that point.”

Question: Could New England have challenged that play since they made a clear recovery?

Corrente: “No, because the play was shut down and stopped prior to the fumble occurring, or prior to him losing control of the football. There was no reviewable aspect of that play.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/30EgvrA