NFL Playoffs, Week 1 (Wildcard Week)

[BravoFan]

I have a question about the Giants/49ers game I hope someone can answer.

On the final Giants field goal attempt with the bad snap, that was 3rd down, right? Could the holder have spiked the ball to stop the clock or not? At first I was thinking that was why teams try the attempt on 3rd down, but would the ineligible receiver penalty have run 10 seconds off the clock anyway?

[John]

The holder SHOULD have stood up right away and tossed the ball into the back of the endzone, rather than running with it. It would have been an incomplete pass, and would have stopped the clock with some time left. And it would have been 4th down, with a chance for another field goal attempt.

That was the saddest final minute of football I've seen in a loooong time.

[BravoFan]

So as long as he would have hurled it and not spiked it, it would have been okay?

[JR.]

He should've just fell forward and then called a time-out. Spiking the ball would've been intentional grounding, and he might have had enough time to toss it in the end zone.

[BravoFan]

Now...about that ineligible receiver penalty...

Even if the clock would have stopped, would they have had to run 10 seconds off the clock because of an offensive penalty in the last 2 minutes of the game?

[John]

I'm not sure about that. I know that the Fox booth crew said that he should have thrown it past the endzone right away, and they'd have gotten another chance. They never said "oh wait, they would have run 10 seconds off the clock."

Who knows. I know it was messed up, for sure.

[John]

I also know that Special Teams center's not going to be the most popular guy in the locker room, considering that was the second toss he bumbled that was critical.

[JR.]

Originally posted by BravoFan
Now...about that ineligible receiver penalty...

Even if the clock would have stopped, would they have had to run 10 seconds off the clock because of an offensive penalty in the last 2 minutes of the game?

I think so, but I'm not 100% sure.

[BravoFan]

Yeah, I wouldn't want to be that guy in the locker room either!

I also thought the ending of the Steelers/Browns game was sad. Why didn't they throw the ball closer to the sideline? That poor receiver tried SO HARD to get to the sideline.