The worst rule in football has struck again. And this time, it proved to be very costly for the Browns in the franchise’s most important game in decades.
The Browns got hit with the dumbest rule in football vs. the Chiefs in the playoffs
The dreaded fumble through the end zone rule stung Cleveland at the worst possible time.
In the final minutes of the first half in Cleveland’s Divisional Round clash with the Chiefs, receiver Rashard Higgins caught a pass near the goal line and nearly scored before being drilled by safety Daniel Sorensen and fumbling the ball through the end zone for a touchback.
Had Higgins reached the end zone with possession of the ball, it would have cut Kansas City’s lead to 16-9, giving the Browns some much-needed momentum heading into halftime.
Instead, the Chiefs got the ball back with under two minutes left up 16-3, drove down the field and added a field goal to lead 19-3 at the break.
By rule, the refs made the right call on Higgins fumbling through the end zone for a touchback, but that doesn’t change the fact it’s an awful rule. Retired offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz once proposed three potential fixes for this rule, and all of them are better than what we currently have.
And as you can see on the replay, what made this even worse is Sorensen lowered his head and went helmet-to-helmet with Higgins. That should have been a personal foul penalty, which would have given Cleveland possession near the 1-yard line.
So yeah, Cleveland got screwed by the worst rule in football and a missed personal foul that should have effectively been a ‘ball don’t lie’ moment.
Cleveland deserves better.
