University of North Carolina head football coach Bill Belichick weighed in on one of the most controversial decisions of the NFL playoffs after an incident that occurred Monday night.
In the game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was pressured and knocked down by Minnesota's pressure.
Just before hitting the ground, he released the ball. Minnesota picked it up and returned it for what was believed to be the tying touchdown.
However, officials overturned their decision on the field, saying Stafford made a forward throwing motion as he fell to the ground. Instead, they ruled it an incomplete pass and converted it to second and 10.
It was a controversial decision. Not only was the fumble overturned and the touchdown taken off the board, but the officials decided not to call a penalty for intentional grounding, which would have been applied since Stafford was in the pocket and did not appear to throw to any particular receiver in the area.
Speaking on the Manningcast on ESPN2, Belichick believed the game was a clear sign of the NFL's move away from balanced play and toward rules that allow offenses to thrive.
The officials ruled that this play was an incomplete pass by Matthew Stafford (center), not a fumble.
UNC coach Bill Belichick lamented the decision, saying the NFL is now “an offensive league.”
As both Peyton and Eli Manning looked shocked when the referees overturned their decision, Belichick said, “It's an offensive league, what are you guys doing?”
'There are no rules to help defense in the NFL. You can get away with calling it an incomplete pass.
Belichick then told the two quarterback brothers, “It's an offensive league, you guys should coach defense in the NFL, you know what it's like.”
The overturned decision appears to have been the turning point in the game. While Los Angeles didn't score on its second chance, the Vikings' offense did nothing to improve their position.
By the end of the first half, the Rams had turned their 10-3 lead at the time of the overturned decision into a 24-3 lead and didn't appear to want to give that up anytime soon.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold only fumbled once on an interception, but he was sacked six times in the first half alone. It's the most sacks by an NFL quarterback in the first half of a playoff game in the last 25 years.
One of those sacks was a grab and score, with the ball thrown out by Rams cornerback Akhello Witherspoon, recovered by Rams defensive end James Verse, and run 57 yards for a touchdown to go up 17-3.
Just before halftime arrived, Stafford found tight end Davis Allen in the end zone for a three-possession win.