Matthew Stafford seemed to get away with one on Monday night.
In the second quarter of the Los Angeles Rams' wild card matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, the quarterback was being sacked and—without looking—decided to flick the ball out as a pass attempt to avoid a loss of yards. The play was originally ruled a fumble returned for a touchdown. After review, it was changed to an incomplete pass.
The NFL world reacted justly—complaining that Stafford should have either been called for a fumble or intentional grounding. One notable reaction came from former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on ESPN's ManningCast:
"It's an offensive league," Belichick said while watching the replay alongside Peyton and Eli. "What are you guys doing? There's no rule to help the defense in the NFL. You can get away with that and call it an incomplete pass."
"It's an offensive league. ... There's no rules to help the defense in the NFL. You can get away with that and call it an incomplete pass." @OmahaProd
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 14, 2025
—Bill Belichick on Matthew Stafford's incomplete pass. pic.twitter.com/q2zeXZNHPK
"It's an offensive league," he continued. "You guys should coach defense in the NFL. You'd know what it's like."
The GOAT clearly wasn't thrilled with that call.
More of the Latest Around the NFL
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bill Belichick Wasn't Happy About Matthew Stafford's Maneuver on Controversial Incompletion.
