One of the biggest differences between the NFL and college football revolves around what happens when a ball carrier hits the ground. In college ball, if a football player has possession of the ball and they are on the ground, they’re not able to get up and continue playing.
In the NFL, however, players are ruled down by contact, which means that a player has to be touched once they hit the deck. Apparently, the New England Patriots forgot about this while playing the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon. Amid a bid to pull off an upset against one of the best teams in the AFC, the Patriots found themselves with a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter thanks to a touchdown pass by Mac Jones.
That lead got cut into on the very next drive thanks to Stefon Diggs, who caught the ball while sliding at New England’s 8. But for some reason, Diggs was able to stand up from there, got out of a tackle by J.C. Jackson, and ran into the end zone.
What a play!
: @CBS pic.twitter.com/TCeCjCJ6XA
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 22, 2023
It’s a tough one for the Patriots, which did a good job stymieing Buffalo’s offense for much of the day. Diggs is normally a pretty incredible playmaker under normal circumstances, and letting him get up when he’s on the ground gives him even more of a chance to do that.