The critical play that swung the Jets’ stunning win over the Giants on Sunday should not “have happened,” Boomer Esiason said.
With the Jets down 10-7 and driving in the last minute of the MetLife Stadium showdown, Zach Wilson hooked up with Allen Lazard for a 29-yard completion that brought the Jets within field-goal range — if they could spike the ball in time.
The Jets raced to the line of scrimmage, new center Xavier Newman grabbing the ball and ready to snap.
The officials had not officially spotted it, but back judge Bryan Neale squeezed his way to the ball, touched it and retreated.
The ball was snapped, Wilson fired it at the ground and one second remained that allowed the Jets to kick the game-tying field goal and send it into overtime, when they would escape.
Esiason, the former Jets quarterback and current CBS Sports and WFAN voice, pointed at the lack of an official ball placement, which would have required an extra tick.
“The center actually spots the ball before the spike not the official,” Esiason wrote on Twitter. “The spike play shouldn’t have happened. Game should have been over. @NFL @NFLOfficiating.”
One website that devotes itself to NFL officiating cleared the officials of wrongdoing on the play.
Football Zebras, which analyzes NFL rules and how officials perform, maintained that the back judge touching the ball was enough for the Jets to snap the ball.
“When there is a long completion the exact yard line of the ball is not important,” the site wrote on its live blog. “What is important is for the umpire to spot the ball before the offense can snap the ball and spike it to stop the clock.
“The mechanics call for the back judge or a player to put the ball down. The umpire will then race in, touch the ball that is lying on the ground, and get clear of the offense so they can snap and clock the ball. The umpire’s actions set the neutral zone and declare the ball ready for play.
“During this sequence, it is easier, safer and faster for the umpire to tap the ball and keep running forward to the defensive backfield.”
The Jets would stop the Giants on the first possession of overtime and Greg Zuerlein kicked a 33-yarder for the improbable victory.