The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers skirted the rules by using holding penalties to their advantage, but the NFL Competition Committee is expected to discuss the possibility of closing the loophole.
Legality of intentional holding to be discussed in the offseason
The Ravens and 49ers have both deliberately drawn holding penalties, and it worked to their advantage.
Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
When the Ravens burned the last 11 seconds of clock against the Cincinnati Bengals, the game ended because, unlike defensive penalties, an offensive penalty can end the game. Baltimore punter Sam Koch was able to stand for the remainder of the game untouched because Bengals defenders were held near the line of scrimmage, and the play eventually ended in a safety.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, that’s a loophole the committee could look to close.
But even if games aren’t allowed to end on an offensive penalty, it may not legislate all intentional holding penalties.
Earlier in the season, the 49ers racked up defensive holding penalties that prevented the New Orleans Saints from taking one last shot at the end zone before halftime, forcing them to settle for a field goal that the team was likely to kick anyway if they didn’t score.
The NFL can do its best to dodge deliberate holding, but it’s likely to be a strategy that sticks around in some form.
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