Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has called the Week 16 Thursday night win over the Rams the turning point of the Super Bowl champion’s season. The most important play in that game happened when replay review turned an incomplete pass into a successful two-point conversion by running back Zach Charbonnet, who simply picked up a loose ball in the end zone.
As MDS explained it earlier this week, it was the call of the year.
The replay review was initiated 100 seconds after the play ended. The two teams were preparing for the next kickoff. Then, out of nowhere, referee Brad Allen announced the play was under review.
The following Sunday, NFL officiating and rules analyst Walt Anderson addressed the play on NFL Network’s GameDay Morning. Anderson glossed over the question of how and when someone realized the play that was ruled to be a forward pass was possibly a backward pass, and thus a live ball.
We’re told, reliably and by three sources, that the league office became aware of the wrinkle when Prime Video rules analyst Terry McAulay called Anderson to discuss the play. The implication is clear. Without that phone call from McAulay, the review process wouldn’t have been activated. The two points wouldn’t have been awarded.
The Seahawks may not have won the game. Seattle may not have earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Rams, not the Seahawks, may have won the division. Seattle may have had to play an extra playoff game. They may have had to play multiple postseason games away from Lumen Field.
Ultimately, the Seahawks may not have made it to the Super Bowl.
It’s impossible to know what would have happened if the score had been Rams 30, Seahawks 28 with 6:23 to play. There was more than enough time for the Seahawks to stop the Rams and get the ball back for a potential game-winning score.
Regardless, the delayed review made the game 30-30, with no additional points scored during regulation.
Via text message, McAulay declined to “go into detail on the specifics” of the situation. The NFL, in an email to PFT, said this: “Walt Anderson serves as the NFL rules analyst, and in that role, is in communication with our broadcast partners during games. Broadcast commentary, however, plays absolutely no role in officiating decisions.”
The point isn’t that the review was sparked by something McAulay said on the air. Our report, which neither McAulay nor the league refuted in response to our inquiries, is that a call from McAulay to Anderson prompted the review.
In the end, they got it right, and McAulay saved the day. That’s the most important thing. But they almost missed it. Without the inquiry from a broadcast partner’s rules analyst, they apparently would have.
Moving forward, here’s hoping the NFL spots any and all potential replay reviews without getting a nudge from the outside. In cases like this, it’s always better if the call is coming from inside the house.
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