Xavier
Grimble, the Pittsburgh Steelers tight end with a name like a
Dr. Seuss character, was on track to score a go-ahead touchdown when he lost
control of the ball and fumbled it forward out of the end zone.
The result? Loss of the football, Denver takes possession on
its own 20.
As it turned out, Denver punted on the ensuing possession,
so it didn’t harm the Steelers from that perspective. But it was still a
near-certain scoring chance that went by the wayside because of the moronic
rule that a fumble into the end zone is a loss of possession. And when the
Steelers ended up losing 24-17 to the Broncos, it became all the more glaring.
It’s a dumb rule because it’s punitively out of alignment.
You don’t lose the ball if you fumble it out of bounds, but fumble it a foot
further forward and it’s gone? Nah. The punishment should fit the crime — get
the ball back on the 20-yard line, but don’t lose possession. Anything else is
just rulebook overreach.
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