Cowboys-Raiders wasn’t the first time NFL refs measured a 1st down with a piece of paper

In Sunday night’s game between the Cowboys and the Raiders in Oakland, a first down was measured in a way we’re not used to seeing — with a piece of paper. While everyone acted like we’ve never seen it happen before, it actually has.

With the chain lined up next to the football, referee Gene Steratore pulled out a folded-up piece of paper, put it between the ball and stick, and they touched.

It was too close to see with the naked eye, but with the paper touching both the ball and the stick, the Cowboys had their first down.

The Cowboys were able to keep their drive alive thanks to the first down, and Dan Bailey’s field goal would end up being the difference in the 20-17 win.

In 2013, the Browns went for a fourth-and-4 at the Ravens’ 39-yard line down 7-6 early in the fourth quarter (hard to imagine no one remembered a Browns-Ravens game!).

Brandon Weeden hit Jordan Cameron on a crossing route, but it was so close that referee Bill Vinovich used a piece of paper to see if the nose of the ball aligned with the marker.

Unlike the Cowboys, the Browns were marked short, and ended up losing the game 14-6.

Apparently it is. NFL spokesman Michael Signora told the Beacon Journal in a 2013 email that it’s within the rules.

“Once the chains are in place, the referee looks at the ball in relation to the line to gain for a first down, as indicated by the chains, and then makes the call,” he said. “Though it is very unusual to see the referee use a card to aid in the measurement, there is nothing that prohibits it in the rules.”

Former NFL official and supervisor of officials Jim Daopoulos told ProFootballTalk officials are “never allowed to use anything other than their eyes to make that decision.” But much like Signora in 2013, he acknowledged that there was nothing that prohibits it in the rules.

Steratore explained his reasoning to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. “The ball was touching the pole,” Steratore said. “I put the card in there, and as soon as it touched, it was nothing more than a reaffirmation. The decision was made based on my visual from the top looking down and the ball touching the front of the pole.”

It’s not something we’re used to seeing, but if it works, it works. Of course Jerry Jones was happy with the result:

If the call would have gone against him, we’d be having a different conversation today. Instead, that might become the most famous pieces of paper in U.S. history, like the Constitution or Declaration of Independence.