It happened just a minute and a half into the game as the Dolphins were on offense with first and 10 on their own 40-yard line. Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert ran up the middle for a short gain when he was hit by linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley. Mostert managed to keep himself moving as he tried to gain some extra yards when he was popped by defensive back Jabril Peppers, knocking the ball loose as he sent Mostert backwards. The Pats recovered the ball, but the officials ruled that the forward progress of Mostert was stopped, rendering the ball dead at that point as a result.
The call allowed the Dolphins to keep the ball with 2nd and 8 on their own 42-yard line. However, based on the replay shown to viewers, the ball was clearly out of Mostert's hands and on the ground after the hit by Peppers. Unfortunately, due to the blown whistle, the play was not eligible for official replay review.The Patriots forced a fumble and recovered... but the refs said the RB's forward progress was stopped. LMAO! Where was that call last week?! pic.twitter.com/0ik9leF7je
— 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 @𝗙𝗧𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱𝟳 (@FTBeard7) January 1, 2023
Fortunately, the Dolphins ended up punting a few plays later, so ultimately the terrible call by the officials did not change the outcome of the game. However, the NFL should review how these "stopped forward progress" calls are being applied by the officials, as it appears some of them are blowing the ball dead too quickly, as was clearly the case here. It seems there is a lot of inconsistency as to when some calls are made and when they are not, causing some players to become very angry.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
