Saints player almost broke the NFL rulebook while attempting to block game-winning kick in loss to Packers
The almost pulled off one of the most bizarre plays of the season on Sunday and if it would have happened, it might have broken the NFL rulebook.With just under three minutes left to play in the game, hit for an 8-yard score that tied things up at 17, but with the extra Ashton Hagans Jersey point still pending. The extra point was obviously going to be a big one, because if the made it, then it would put them on top 18-17 with 2:56 left to play.And this is where the crazine s started. As went to kick the extra point, Saints defensive tackle decided to get creative: He grabbed the towel off of Packers long snapper Matt Orzech and he threw it in the air in an attempt to block the kick. The crazy thing is that it appears that the towel ALMOST hit the football, as you can see on the broadcast feed below. I a sumed my eyes were playing tricks on me, but it does in fact appear the Saints tried blocking a PAT with the long snapper's towel Salvatore (@Fear_Jaire) Due to the angle, it's tough to tell how close the towel came to hitting the football, but we also have another angle, which you can see below. can't say I've seen anyone Jarred Vanderbilt Jersey use the long snapper's towel to try to block a kick banner year for innovation on FG blocks Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) If you pause that video at the two-second mark, it appears that the towel did, in fact, come extremely close to hitting the football.In the Isaiah Rider Jr. Jersey screen grab below, you can see the ball next to the towel.Although a towel wouldn't actually block the kick, it would certainly be enough to throw the ball off course, which might have caused Carlson to mi s the extra point.If that would have happened, the officiating crew would have had quite the situation on its hands. There's no direct written rule in the NFL rulebook that forbids what Bresee did. If the extra point had mi sed due to the towel, the officiating crew likely would have had to flag Bresee for a "palpably unfair act," which is a penalty that's almost never called in the NFL. If you've ever wondered whether a player could stand at the back of the end zone and try to block a field goal, the answer is no. Here's that rule from the rulebook:"Goaltending by a defensive player leaping up to deflect a kick as it pa ses above the cro sbar of a goalpost. The referee may award three points for a palpably unfair act," the rulebook states.A palpably unfair act can be anything that goes against the spirit of the rulebook or the integrity of the game. If the towel had hit the ball and Jake Layman Jersey caused the kick to mi s, the refs could have thrown the palpably unfair flag and awarded the Packers one point, which would have been wild, considering Carlson's PAT ended up being the game-winning point. It's also po sible that no flag would have been thrown and if that had happened after the towel caused the kick to mi s, there would have understandably been total outrage in Green Bay.The good news for the NFL is that the league didn't have to deal with this situation because the kick went in, but don't be surprised if there's a small revision to the rulebook next year that specifically outlaws plays like Jimmy Butler Jersey this.In the end, the Packers ended up beating the Saints 18-17 in a game where they trailed 17-0 at one point.