Joe Burrow Speaks Out on NFL Officiating Controversies

Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, has taken to social media to express his frustration with the ongoing officiating controversies in the NFL. He believes that the confusion surrounding certain plays is unnecessary and that the officials are making the correct calls.

“The amount of people that don’t understand what a catch is in the rule book flabbergasts me,” Burrow wrote in a rare post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday night. “And it’s not the officials. The two plays yesterday were not difficult calls, and they got them both right.”

Although he used the word “yesterday” in the tweet, it seems that Burrow was referring to a controversial play from Saturday’s Bills-Broncos game and another from Sunday’s Rams-Bears matchup.

On Saturday, the Bills missed out on what could have been a game-winning score when the referees ruled that a possible Brandin Cooks catch was, in fact, an interception by Josh Allen. This play divided fans online, especially because it essentially decided the game.

Then, on Sunday, the Rams’ receiver Davante Adams was awarded a catch on a play that looked eerily similar to the one in the Bills-Broncos game, down to the way the ball was ripped out of Adams’s hands. Onlookers were left scratching their heads as a result—does anyone know what a catch is at this point?

Well, Burrow thinks he does. And he thinks the officials do, too.

Understanding the Rule Book

After Saturday’s game, lead referee Carl Cheffers spoke with pool reporters about the rationale behind the first of the weekend’s vexing calls.

“The receiver has to complete the process of a catch,” Cheffers said. “[Cooks] was going to the ground as part of the process of the catch and he lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground. The defender gained possession of it at that point. The defender was the one who completed the process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball.”

The crew chief added that the ball did not hit the ground before the Broncos defender—Ja’Quan McMillian—had possession.

As for what was different about Adams’s grab on Sunday, we did not get an answer there. It might just be one of those plays that’s called differently every time … as unsatisfying an answer as that might seem.

What Is the Definition of a Catch?

Here is the definition of a completed or intercepted pass, per the NFL rule book:

A player who makes a catch may advance the ball. A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) in the field of play, at the sideline, or in the end zone if a player, who is inbounds:
(a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and
(b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and
(c) after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, clearly performs any act common to the game (e.g., extend the ball forward, take an additional step, tuck the ball away and turn upfield, or avoid or ward off an opponent), or he maintains control of the ball long enough to do so.

Notes:
(1) Movement of the ball does not automatically result in loss of control.
(2) If a player, who satisfied (a) and (b), but has not satisfied (c), contacts the ground and loses control of the ball, it is an incomplete pass if the ball hits the ground before he regains control, or if he regains control out of bounds.

Here is a look at what happens if two players catch the ball at the same time:

If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control. If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball.

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