Patriots’ Hunter Henry disputes overturned TD in loss to Vikings

MINNESOTA — New England Patriots tight finish Hunter Henry’s 6-yard landing reception within the third quarter was overturned by on the spot replay Thursday evening, a call that left him perplexed following a 33-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Financial institution Stadium.

“I imagine I caught it,” Henry mentioned late Thursday evening within the Patriots’ locker room. “He mentioned it hit the bottom. However I imagine my hand was beneath the ball. The hand was beneath the ball, with hitting the bottom, that is what sort of induced it to leap up.

“They made the decision. Simply obtained to dwell with it.”

On the third-and-goal play from the 6-yard line, quarterback Mac Jones fired a cross close to the aim line to Henry, who was coated by Vikings defensive again Chandon Sullivan. Henry had each palms on the ball as he lunged towards the aim line.

Officers initially dominated it a landing, earlier than overturning the decision to an incomplete cross following a prolonged overview.

A landing would have given the Patriots a 30-23 lead halfway by means of the third quarter, assuming a profitable point-after try. As an alternative, they settled for a 25-yard subject aim by Nick Folks. The Vikings then scored the sport’s last 10 factors.

NFL vp of officiating Walt Anderson defined the overturned name in a pool report, saying: “He was going to the bottom, the ball ended up touching the bottom, after which he misplaced management of the ball in his palms.”

Requested to clarify why Henry wasn’t granted possession earlier than the ball hit the bottom, Anderson mentioned: “As a result of as he will the bottom, he has to keep up management of the ball upon contacting the bottom. The time period that is generally used is ‘surviving the bottom’ … he has the weather of two toes and management, however as a result of he will the bottom, he has to keep up management of the ball.”

Because the replay course of was unfolding, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell mentioned he thought it will both be dominated a catch simply wanting the aim line or an incomplete cross.

“I believe it is a type of issues that would have gone a number of other ways. I used to be very glad that it went the way in which it did,” he mentioned.

Henry had two palms on the ball, however Anderson mentioned that alone wasn’t sufficient.

“If he had maintained management of the ball with two palms, even when the ball have been to the touch the bottom, that might nonetheless be a catch,” he mentioned.

Henry, in his seventh NFL season, had solely seen the replay whereas watching it on the scoreboard at U.S. Financial institution Stadium. Within the aftermath of Thursday’s recreation, he deliberate to “actually have a look at it within the movie room, and simply attempt to be higher and management the ball throughout so there’s not even a query.”

The Patriots nonetheless had possibilities after the ruling, however have been doomed by self-inflicted wounds, comparable to a running-into-the-kicker penalty within the fourth quarter that turned a punt into an eventual Vikings landing.

“Now we have to maneuver on from that [overturned] play and play the remainder of the sport. There was loads of time left,” Jones mentioned. “There have been different occasions we may have punched it in and that would not have been a problem. One name cannot decide the end result. Now we have to have the ability to do higher, so it is not even shut.”