Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens came down with what practically every fan in Acrisure Stadium thought was a touchdown in the second quarter on Monday night.
The ascending star caught what seemed to be a surefire nine-yard touchdown from quarterback Russell Wilson. The play was ruled a touchdown on the field and commentators Joe Buck and Troy Aikman initially didn’t seem to notice anything wrong with the play.
Upon closer inspection, Giants cornerback Deonte Banks pushed Pickens out of bounds before both feet could get down. His right foot bounced off the floor twice – the first time a good distance away from the out-of-bounds marker – and the play was ultimately overturned.
Most NFL fans are aware of how players must have “two feet” in bounds for a catch, language that would have awarded Pickens the touchdown on the play.
However, the NFL rulebook states otherwise: “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 [and]: b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands.”
Though his left foot and the backside of Pickens came close to touching the ground in bounds, his only body part in the field of play when he came down with the ball was his right foot. Therefore, the touchdown was overturned.
The former third-round pick had a further touchdown reception in the first half ruled out on a Broderick Jones holding penalty.
For Pickens, every touchdown may matter. He entered Monday’s contest with an impressive 474 receiving yards – 17th most in the NFL – and only one score.
ESPN analyst Jason Kelce questioned the call during halftime: “I feel like every once and a while there is a catch that makes everyone reevaluate what a catch is. This George Pickens one is it.”
Former Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt took to X to weigh in on the call. “Does one foot twice not count as two feet?” he said.
This is far from the first time the catch has become a hot talking point. In the 2024 NFC Divisional playoff, Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant hauled in what looked to be a certain touchdown.
However, the referees ruled he didn’t secure the catch all the way to the ground. Dallas would lose the game and haven’t sniffed the NFC Championship game since.
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