There are a lot of dumb rules in football but there is no debate over what is THE dumbest rule of them all – the one where when a team fumbles through the end zone and the punishment is that it is ruled a turnover and the other team gets the ball at the 20 yard line.
It’s just incredibly dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
The Cleveland Browns got burned by this rule during the first half of Sunday’s playoff game against the Chiefs and it ended up being a 10-point swing that could cost them the game.
Browns WR Rashard Higgins dove for the end zone late in the second quarter when he fumbled it:
Instead of going into halftime with a touchdown and the ball back, the #Browns have the worst luck ever.
Fumble into the endzone, touchback. pic.twitter.com/Ze7ugfrLUB
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 17, 2021
Also, that sure looked like a helmet-to-helmet hit that should have been called.
The Chiefs then took the ball downfield and kicked a field goal before halftime to take a 19-3 lead at the break.
Twitter was angry:
.@browns getting screwed by the worst rule in football
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 17, 2021
Yes, my phone is buzzing from everyone who knows how I feel.
Worst rule in the rule book by far strikes again.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) January 17, 2021
10 yard penalty at spot of fumble and loss of down
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) January 17, 2021
Beyond the fumble and the rule…that was helmet to helmet.
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) January 17, 2021
An offensive fumble in the opponents end zone giving the ball to the opposing team at the 20, is forever the worst rule in football! #Chiefs #Browns
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) January 17, 2021
There it is… the worst rule in sports. No reason why a fumble through the end zone should be a touchback. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) January 17, 2021
If an offensive player fumbles the ball anywhere on the field and it goes out of bounds, the offense gets the ball back at the spot of the fumble.
If an offensive player fumbles it into the end zone and it goes out of bounds, the ball goes to the defense at the 20.
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 17, 2021
Ball should remain with the offense at the spot of the fumble. https://t.co/pAugUtPolV
— Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) January 17, 2021
Great way to ruin the game early… 👎🏻
— Stephan K (@Speedo0o) January 17, 2021
That touchback rule is the dumbest rule in football by a mile
— Jake (@JakeD243) January 17, 2021
