The New York Jets were shortchanged a play on their first drive of the game Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Cowboys.
On third-and-goal from the 7-yard line, Jets quarterback Justin Fields attempted a screen pass to running back Breece Hall. The ball hit Cowboys defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. in the facemask and ricocheted upwards, where it hit the Fox Skycam. The play was ruled an incomplete pass and the Jets settled for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
According to the NFL rulebook, Rule 7, Section 2, Article 7, the ball hitting the Skycam should have resulted in the down being replayed.
“If a loose ball in play strikes a video board, guide wire, sky cam, or any other object, the ball will be dead immediately, and th…
The New York Jets were shortchanged a play on their first drive of the game Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Cowboys.
On third-and-goal from the 7-yard line, Jets quarterback Justin Fields attempted a screen pass to running back Breece Hall. The ball hit Cowboys defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. in the facemask and ricocheted upwards, where it hit the Fox Skycam. The play was ruled an incomplete pass and the Jets settled for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
According to the NFL rulebook, Rule 7, Section 2, Article 7, the ball hitting the Skycam should have resulted in the down being replayed.
“If a loose ball in play strikes a video board, guide wire, sky cam, or any other object, the ball will be dead immediately, and the down will be replayed at the previous spot,” the rulebook states. “In the event the down is replayed, the game clock will be reset to the time remaining when the snap occurred, and the clock will start on the All penalties will be disregarded, except for personal fouls or unsportsmanlike conduct fouls, which will be administered prior to the replaying of the down.”
The officials got it wrong in real time, and replay assist did not jump in to correct it. The Jets also could have challenged the ruling, but opted not to. Instead of getting one more shot at the end zone from the 7-yard line, New York’s longest drive of the season — 13 plays — ended in three points. The Jets trailed the Cowboys 30-3 late into the third quarter, until another Nick Folk field goal gave the Jets their second score of the game to make the score 30-6.
(Photo of Justin Fields: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
Oct 5, 2025
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Saad Yousuf is a staff writer covering the NFL. He previously covered the Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Stars at The Athletic. Saad also works at 96.7/1310 The Ticket in Dallas after five years at ESPN Dallas radio. Prior to The Athletic, Saad covered the Cowboys, Mavericks and a variety of other sports at The Dallas Morning News. Follow Saad on Twitter @SaadYousuf126