"Never seen a flag come in this late": Amon-Ra St. Brown voices complaint against referees disallowing Jared Goff's TD vs Chiefs

Amon-Ra St. Brown has bemoaned his teammate Jared Goff’s disallowed touchdown catch during the Detroit Lions’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The Lions would have taken a 6-0 lead with the score.

However, it was ruled out by the game officials for illegal movement, with Craig Wrolstad explaining the decision:

“The quarterback never got set; therefore, it’s illegal motion, offense No. 16.”

While he doesn’t disagree with the decision, St. Brown recalled the team’s frustration with the call on his podcast. He said:

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“The crazy part is like we’re all celebrating. We get to the sideline. We sit down. We’re all done. Then they blow the whistle. I’ve never seen a flag come in this late.”

The Lions had executed a trick play on fourth-and-goal at the Chiefs’ one-yard line. Jared Goff was under center while running back David Montgomery and tight end Brock Wright were in a T-formation behind him.

The Lions quarterback ran to the left instead of taking the snap from center, leaving Montgomery to get the snap in the backfield. He then threw to Goff, who supposedly caught for a touchdown, subsequently disallowed.

The Lions were also penalized five yards, settling for a field goal to go ahead 3-0 with 5:21 left in the first quarter. The team had spent almost 10 minutes on the opening drive and was left frustrated by how things turned.

Which NFL rule did Jared Goff violate in the Lions’ trick play against the Chiefs?

Jared Goff’s touchdown catch against the Chiefs was disallowed on Sunday for illegal motion. Many do not know which part of the NFL rulebook prohibits Goff’s motion on the play. NBC’s rules analyst Terry McAulay broke it down during the game broadcast, saying:

“He takes a position behind the center. He’s got to step back and pause for a second and establish as a back before he goes in motion. He didn’t. He stayed in motion.”

Jared Goff’s move, as explained by McAulay, violated Rule 7, Section 4, Article 2, Item 3 of the NFL rulebook, which reads:

“It is legal for a T-Formation Quarterback to go in motion, whether he has placed his hands under center, or his knees, or on the body of the center. However, it is a false start if the action is quick and abrupt. If the player fails to come to a complete stop for at least one full second prior to the ball being snapped, it is illegal motion.”

The Lions face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next on Oct. 20.

Edited by Kayode Akinwumi