AP

The Patriots drove 91 yards to tie Super Bowl LI late in regulation. They nearly had to drive even farther.

The first snap of the eventual scoring effort saw Brady rushed and hit (again) by Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett. Brady’s left leg was in the field of play, and his right leg (and arm) were in the end zone.

The ball landed seven yards down the field and roughly five-to-seven yards to the inside of running back Dion Lewis. Although the FOX broadcast didn’t mention the potential for an intentional grounding call, referee Carl Cheffers could be heard in the stadium explaining that Lewis was in the area of the throw.

By rule, it’s enough for the ball to land in the “vicinity” of an eligible receiver. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the league office believes it was the right call. Specifically, Lewis was close enough to the ball that the quarterback should get the benefit of the doubt.

Some Falcons fans will disagree, and their position will be fueled by the absence of objectivity in the assessment of whether a receiver was in the “vicinity” of the pass. Still, it was a far cry from the first two points scored in Super Bowl XLVI, when Brady fired a ball deep down the field from his own end zone, with no receiver close to the ball.

In this case, it’s hard to tell whether the Falcons would have gotten two points if the flag had been thrown, or whether the Patriots would have gotten the ball at the one. Either way, it would have made it very difficult for the Patriots to force overtime, if Cheffers had decided that Brady had engaged in intentional grounding, with the goal of avoiding what would have been a fourth sack by Jarrett.