Following the Patriots game against the Baltimore Ravens. Here are the questions asked by Patriots Pool Reporter Mike Reiss and answered by today's referee, Ron Winter (RW).
Q: What were the Ravens challenging on the fake field goal?
RW: The Ravens were challenging that the pass should have been called incomplete.
Q: Why did the illegal motion penalty not override that challenge?
RW: If it had been an incomplete pass, then they would have declined the penalty and they would have taken the ball at the previous spot. Baltimore would have - because it was fourth down [and an] incomplete pass - so they would have gotten the ball 1st-and-10 at the previous spot. So that's why they challenged that, to determine whether or not it was in fact a completed pass. When we found out it was a completed pass, then the illegal motion penalty kicks in. [That] takes it back, so they have to repeat the down .... It was a fourth down. [He] caught the pass [and it was] good for a first down.
Q: So [Baltimore] challenged if [New England] had caught the ball?
RW: That's right.
Q: Should the play have been spotted and measured before the challenge?
RW: There was no indisputable evidence to indicate that the ball was not a first down. We looked at that to see if it was in fact a first down. We couldn't determine that from the replay. So the ruling on the field would stand in that regard.
