NFL referee (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Was that a touchdown for River Cracraft or no?
River Cracraft might have one of the coolest names you’ve ever heard. He almost made one of the better catches on Thursday Night Football this season. Too bad close doesn’t mean a thing when it comes to the NFL ruling system.
During the closing minutes of the first quarter between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers, Cracraft hauled in a pass on a well-thrown ball from Nick Mullens. As he turned, one could see the ball moving headed towards the out of bounds mark. And although it went to commercial break for further review, fans should have known that that play was ending as an incomplete.
What is a catch in the NFL now?
According to the rules, the ball must not move on your way to the ground. Sure, that’s what’s set in place, but does that mean the referees always call it? In fact, more often than not, it feels as if easy plays like that are the one’s fans and refs argue over on the field or on social media.
One has to feel for Cracraft, who has one career reception and is earning reps due to a limited receiving corps. It’s safe to say that the 49ers, who are constantly losing talent left and right, could have used a big-time play to keep their postseason hopes alive. However, with so much happening around the world today, the last thing anyone needs is more arguing on Twitter about “what is or isn’t a catch.”
The 49ers would settle for a chip shot field goal from Robbie Gould to end the quarter down 7-3.