Rampage
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- Mar 19, 2019
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USA TODAY Sports
The NFL announced 11 proposed changes to the rules on Thursday, including one that had its genesis in one play during a Week 11 game between the Buccaneers and Rams.
On a third-and-10 with the Rams up 24-17 in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady had a pass batted back to him that he caught before throwing an eight-yard completion. Two forward passes are not allowed on the same play, but the five-yard penalty for what Brady did is not accompanied by a loss of down, which is the case for a forward pass thrown by someone over the line of scrimmage.
That meant the Rams were faced with a choice of accepting the penalty and giving the Bucs a third-and-15 or declining it to leave them with a fourth-and-two. They declined the penalty and the Bucs punted on their way to a loss.
The Rams proposed a change that would amend the penalty for such a play to include a loss of down. Given the penalty for a pass over the line of scrimmage, it seems like a logical addition but team owners will decide if they agree later this offseason.