LAC@DEN: Hard to believe, pt. 1

The ruling on this play — a touchdown — is just stupefying.

Because Denver cornerback Levi Wallace (39) makes a strong solo tackle, the feet of Chargers’ running back J.K. Dobbins’ never get beyond the 1-yard line. That’s good defense.

But wait. Because Dobbins waved the ball in the vicinity of the goal line, poof! As if by magic, six points went on the board for Los Angeles.  How can anyone seriously think this effort, even if Dobbins actually whooshed the ball into a fragment of the Great Invisible Plane, deserves to be ruled a touchdown?

It is utterly senseless. Hocus Bogus Rating: 5

HOU@NE: Hard to believe, pt. 2

On the same Sunday as J.K. Dobbins’ wacky ruling (above), we have another call so astoundingly misguided that it can cause your cerebrum to quake.

Announcers Kevin Harlan and Trent Green, even rules analyst Gene Steratore, think Houston’s Dameon Pierce was pushed out of bounds by New England cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) at the 1. Yet despite replays that support that view, Pierce was awarded a touchdown.

Absolutely amazing. The ball appears short of the goal line. Pierce, but maybe not the ball, flies over the pylon before landing out of bounds. Only one thing is certain about this play: Pierce never, ever touches the end zone. Rating: 5

HOU@NE: The Houston bypass

Some ball carriers can’t be inconvenienced with silly obligations such as touching the end zone, particularly when their route to that destination is rudely interrupted by a defender.

Solution: Just go wide. Way wide. You know, out of bounds-wide.

With his path impeded by New England cornerback Jonathan Jones (31), Houston’s Joe Mixon seeks to avoid contact by running toward the left pylon.  He nevertheless still takes a shove by Jones but does manage to avoid contacting the end zone, stepping over the corner and landing out of bounds. 

Jones did his job. He kept Mixon out of the end zone. Yet the existing rule defines that as a touchdown. We say that rule is wrong. Way wrong. Rating: 4

CIN@NYG: Wide right

Nice run by Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow. It’s just not worthy, in our view, of six points, regardless of what the flawed break-the-plane rule allows.

Giants’ safety Jason Pinnock (27) runs a long way to chase down Burrow and force him wide of the end zone. That should be a touchdown-saving effort.

But no. Because Burrow was able to bonk the pylon (which is 100 percent out of bounds) as he was flyimg into the sideline, he gets awarded six points. And Pinnock probably got unfairly chewed out for not arriving sooner. Rating: 3.5