As the Saints have been driving on the finish of Sunday’s recreation in opposition to the Commanders, it seemed just like the clock stopped when it shouldn’t have, with 9 seconds to play.
It did.
Referee Shawn Hochuli admitted throughout a postgame pool report that one of many officers on the crew mistakenly stopped the clock after a throw from quarterback Spencer Rattler to tight finish Foster Moreau took the ball from the Washington seven to the Washington one.
“The clock mustn’t have stopped,” Hochuli mentioned.
It’s unclear why the error was made.
The stoppage, which by our estimation lasted 2.7 seconds, gave the Saints time to line up and spike the clock. Which gave them sufficient time to throw a landing go that introduced the sport to inside one level, setting the stage for a win-or-lose two-point strive. (The Saints did not convert.)
Hochuli added that the error will not be reviewable. And he’s proper. Under the rulebook, replay overview can be utilized to place time on the clock, however it might probably’t be used to take away time from the clock.
The league obtained fortunate that the additional time didn’t consequence within the Saints profitable the sport. If they’d, it might have been a a lot larger deal.
Even then, we don’t know — and gained’t know — whether or not the Saints would have gotten the clock stopped with time left, if the clock hadn’t erroneously stopped. Per a league supply, the NFL doesn’t know the reply to that query, both.
