DET@SF: Pylon follies, pt. 1

Somewhere it is written: The first shall mimic the last. 

The first and last touchdowns recorded during Week 17 involved pylons, but not the end zone. These strange gifts are brought to us by the break-the-plane rule. Why fans accept this rule is a great mystery.

The final touchdown awarded in Detroit’s Monday night win over the 49ers featured San Francisco backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs waving the ball at the pylon as he was running out of bounds. Officials, perhaps out of pity, or expediency, awarded him six points for his trouble. The end zone, i.e., the designated scoring area, never even saw Dobbs’ shadow as he ran wide right. Why would anyone rule this a touchdown? Hocus Bogus Rating: 5

KC@PIT: Pylon follies, pt. 2

Five days before Dobbs’ ersatz touchdown above, Kansas City’s Xavier Worthy was credited with the first touchdown of two Xmas Day games, played on a Wednesday.

Like Dobbs, Worthy made no contact with the end zone. He just happened to plow into a pylon as he was flying out of bounds following a shove by Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitspatrick (39).

Long, long ago someone decided pylon-pounding was good enough to be considered a touchdown, even though pylons are totally, completely, 100 percent out of bounds. End zones are 10 yards deep and 53.3 yards wide, yet we need to give ball carriers additional space outside the end zone where they can be granted six points? To us, that is some strange thinking. Rating: 4.5

KC@PIT: Pylon follies, pt. 3

One quarter later in the same game, Pittsburgh QB Russell Wilson crashed into the same pylon that Xavier Worthy knocked over. Like Worthy, Wilson missed the end zone and landed out of bounds.

But the makers of the break-the-plane rule want us to accept that as good enough for a touchdown. And strangely, for decades fans have played along and gulped down the break-the-plane Kool-Aid. Seems strange. Rating: 4.5

MIA@CLE: Pylon follies, pt. 4

Miami’s Jonnu Smith joins the Week 17 pylon parade by planting his left elbow on a pylon (and the sideline where the pylon stands) just a split second before he reached the ball into the end zone.

To qualify for a touchdown, the revised rule we recommend requires a ball carrier to contact the end zone (which includes the goal line) and be fully inbounds when that initial contact occurs. Here Smith just misses that mark. We say no score. Line up inside and try again to make legit, inbounds, physical contact with the designated scoring area. In our book, airspace touchdowns are an unsatisfactory substitute for the real thing. Rating: 3

AZ@LAR: Push ’em back, way back

The Rams’ Kyren Williams never reaches the end zone during this 1-yard grind, but he is given credit for momentarily puncturing the end zone’s airspace and is awarded a weak six points. 

Arizona safety Jalen Thompson (34) makes the superior effort on this play, stoning Williams at the goal line and pushing him backwards before he or the ball cradled in his right arm can contact the end zone. Despite winning this mano-a-mano joust with Williams, Thompson and his strong play go unrecognized and unrewarded. That seems unfair. Rating: 3.5