Inconsistent NFL penalty costs Patriots go-home touchdown vs. Dolphins

The Patriots headed into the final minutes of their Week 5 game against the Dolphins in panic mode, as they were down for the second time in the game, 15-10. Although they had struggled all game long and they didn't make it easy on themselves, they were able to swiftly move down the field and make a play.

Out of nowhere, Jacoby Brissett made the play of the day with a nice 12-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Ja'Lynn Polk, who tapped his toes at the back of the endzone to put the Patriots ahead with a minute left in regulation.

It was ruled a touchdown on the field, garnering a stadium full of cheers amidst a disappointing and almost discouraging showing the rest of the game. But it was quickly overturned by officials, becoming a controversial call among Patriots fans.

Upon seeing the replay, the officials claimed Polk's heel came down out of bounds despite his toes touching the green. It prompted boos and quite a response from Patriots fans online, with reporters taking to their social media to prove it was the right call.

Toe touches don't count when the heel of the player's foot comes down and touches out of bounds. While this makes sense, as the Boston Herald's Zack Cox explained, it doesn't take away the frustration of what could have been a go-home score for the Patriots.

The rule was then published by 98.5 The Sports Hub's Alex Barth, which shows the rule written in the NFL officials' handbook. But many fans (and even former players) pointed out that the rule doesn't make sense or is not implemented that often, making the ruling even worse in their eyes.

Three-time Super Bowl Champion and former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham took to Twitter/X to express a universally shared opinion on the matter, proving further that the NFL needs to get their rules in check and more sensical.

It shouldn't be this hard for fans to understand rules or for officials to know when they should be implemented.

This doesn't mean that Patriots fans are blaming the referees for this loss; clearly, they didn't play up to par, made far more mistakes, and performed badly through most of the game to have easily earned the loss. However, when a call is made that doesn't make sense or isn't called in most other games, it's a factor that will frustrate fans no matter who their team is.

It was a great play by Polk and the latest example of how good he will grow to be for the Patriots' offense once they're able to be a solid unit and actually make plays.

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