An obscure NFL rule could have awarded Chargers game-winning field goal due to Steelers’ penalties

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Sunday night's ending to the Pittsburgh Steelers' loss to the Los Angeles Chargers featured one of the weirder finishes to an NFL game - a field goal that was eventually completed after the Steelers went offsides three times in a row.


Maybe you didn't think about it at the time, but you will now: What if Pittsburgh kept committing penalties to force kicker Michael Badgley to miss over and over?


In a video starring FOX Sports' officiating experts Dean Blandino and Mike Pereira, there's an answer with an obscure rule: officials can call a penalty for "continually fouling" to stop a team from scoring:

Click Photo to see Video ............

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FOX Sports: NFL
@NFLonFOX





Last night, the Steelers jumped offside not 1, not 2, but 3 times while trying to block a Chargers field goal. @MikePereira and @DeanBlandino discuss how the Chargers could have been automatically awarded points due to the consecutive penalties.

(Sponsored by @surface)

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8:17 PM - Dec 3, 2018










</twitter-widget>As Pereira pointed out, it's got to be "intentional" in order for a zebra to award a team a score, and that comes after a warning from officials. Blandino said he would have considered it after the second or third offsides, which absolutely would have blown up social media and created debate for days.
 

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I actually knew about that rule. Not sure why.

Otherwise near the end of the game you could intentionally put added guys on defense. Let them run a play and eat up clock but only get yardage for the 5 yard penalty. Once the clock is eaten up.....then you would just have to defend on one play.
 
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That's interesting. On a side note, one aspect of game management strategy that I'm surprised you don't see more of is teams that are winning by exactly 3 points and under 10 or 15 seconds left should have their defensive backs intentionally tackle all Wr's and TE's as soon as the ball is snapped instead of letting teams take a shot at the endzone when the trailing team is in FG range. I'm surprised you don't see this strategy employed.
 

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This is exactly what Bama should have done against Clemson 2 years ago in national title game..
 

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That's interesting. On a side note, one aspect of game management strategy that I'm surprised you don't see more of is teams that are winning by exactly 3 points and under 10 or 15 seconds left should have their defensive backs intentionally tackle all Wr's and TE's as soon as the ball is snapped instead of letting teams take a shot at the endzone when the trailing team is in FG range. I'm surprised you don't see this strategy employed.

Would not work - !!

Due to rule mentioned above......
 

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As Pereira pointed out, it's got to be "intentional" in order for a zebra to award a team a score, 3 or 6 points and that comes after a warning from officials. Blandino said he would have considered it after the second or third offsides, which absolutely would have blown up social media and created debate for days.


Curious if score awarded would be FG/TD?
 

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As Pereira pointed out, it's got to be "intentional" in order for a zebra to award a team a score, 3 or 6 points and that comes after a warning from officials. Blandino said he would have considered it after the second or third offsides, which absolutely would have blown up social media and created debate for days.


Curious if score awarded would be FG/TD?

hmm...right. who's to say they weren't going to fake it? what is the ruling?
 

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This rule almost came in to play on a pick six a while back when Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cower came close to coming on to the field and tackling the player running along the sidelines in front of him. Had he done so the refs would of awarded the 6 points.
 

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so what if they planned a fake...bad snap, play blown up....so you don't really ever know that. but it was the 12th consecutive offsides...3 or 6?
 

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