Why didn't Buccaneers' game-tying touchdown count?

Chris Chase, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

Mike Williams caught a potentially game-tying touchdown pass with no time on the clock in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game against the New Orleans Saints but officials disallowed the catch because the wide receiver had been out of bounds earlier on the play. The only reason Williams was off the field of play was because he had been shoved by Saints cornerback Corey White.

If Williams had been awarded the touchdown, the Bucs would have needed an extra point to send the game to overtime with the score tied at 35.

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As you can hear, Fox announcers Dick Stockton and John Lynch were of little help in explaining the call, leaving viewers confused about the nullified touchdown catch. Williams was intentionally shoved out of bounds, reestablished himself on the field of play and caught the ball. That's usually a catch. The NFL rule book says a player who is illegally forced out of bounds can come back and catch the ball. So why wasn't Williams awarded a touchdown? Did the referees have a Packers-Seahawks moment?

It took an explanation on Twitter from Fox officiating analyst Mike Periera to clear it up:

"In TB not illegal contact because the QB was out of the pocket and you can't come back in and be the first to touch," Periera wrote.

In other words, White pushed Williams legally. Because Josh Freeman was out of the pocket and the pass had yet to be thrown, White was allowed to shove Williams. There was no penalty on the play which means Williams can't come back onto the field of play and be the first to touch a ball. It didn't matter how Williams had gotten out of bounds, only that he was.

Okay; that's great. Good for the refs for getting it right (imagine the replacements trying to make this call) and good for White for taking advantage of the rule, whether intentionally or not.

All that being said, this call stinks. The proper rule may have been applied, but the proper rule is counterintuitive and goes against the most basic understanding of the sport. It's like the tuck rule or the Calvin Johnson non-TD. Defenders can take out offensive players just because a quarterback is rolling out? How does that make any sense? Who cares whether Freeman was inside the pocket, outside the pocket or anywhere else?

This rule effectively killed Williams for the remainder of the play. The instant White shoved Williams out of bounds, the receiver was done. And a thrilling finale was halted on a technicality.