Do you remember the “Tuck Rule Game”? Something similar almost happened in the Cincinnati Bengals’ 18-18 win over the New England Patriots in Week 16.
As a refresher, the tuck rule is an issue that arose out of the 2002 divisional round game between the Patriots and then-Oakland Raiders.
Towards the end of the fourth quarter, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was trailing 13-10 and was released by defenseman Charles Woodson, resulting in Brady fumbling the ball to the Raiders.
Game Over, or so it seemed…
The play was reviewed, and referee Walt Coleman cited the tuck rule to determine the play was an incomplete pass, allowing the Patriots to retain possession. They would typically level the game and win it in overtime en route to their first of six Super Bowl wins under Brady.
Like the famous Immaculate Reception celebrated this week, it remains one of the biggest “what if” games in NFL history.
Similar to that game, the Patriots were trailing in the late fourth quarter of their Week 16 game against the Bengals and what appeared to be a streak sack from safety Vonn Bell resulted in linebacker Germaine Pratt picking up the ball and running into the end zone for a defensive touchdown.
However, the game was classified as an incomplete pass despite what appeared to be a fumble.
Well, there’s a difference between those two plays as Jones actually tried to throw a forward pass but seemingly fumbled the ball forward while Brady tried to collect the ball after a pump fake and lost it.
Brady’s tuck resulted in the pass being ruled incomplete while Jones had the ball grounded, forcing the Bengals at least one big loss in yards.
Let’s not forget to mention that this was a regular season game, although it had a major impact on the playoffs as the Patriots are now highly unlikely to make the playoffs while the Bengals are still in pursuit of the No. 1 seed overall are in the AFC playoffs.
Also, the Bengals were up 22-12 when said game took place, while the Raiders were up just three times.
Of course, the subsequent 3rd-and-29 game led to this…
While it’s inexcusable to allow this to happen, it’s a game the Bengals defense should never have had to contend with. Worst case scenario, it should have been decided that they restored what Jones had botched the previous game.
The real irony in all of this is that it was in this very year, 2022, that Tom Brady admitted he “possibly” blew the ball in said tuck rule game.
Unfortunately, the Raiders still have to wonder what if, a nightmare that the Bengals thankfully don’t have to endure from that day on.
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