NFL reportedly applied new catch rule to disputable Eagles touchdowns in Super Bowl LII

NFL officials were often accused of favoring the Patriots last season. They had the highest rate of offensive drives with at least one penalty called on their opponent and came up on the winning end of several close calls. In the AFC championship, for example, a quick whistle appeared to rob Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack of a fumble recovery that could have iced the game for Jacksonville. Instead, the Patriots came back from a 10-point deficit and won.

But in an ironic twist, the referees' faulty application of the rulebook may have cost the Patriots in Super Bowl LII against the Eagles. ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Sal Paolantonio reported Tuesday Corey Clement's and Zach Ertz's touchdown catches were ruled differently in the Super Bowl than they would have been in the regular season. According to Paolantonio, officials used the new catch rule, which was unanimously voted into practice at the owners' meetings this week.

"I talked to Al Riveron after the press conference — the vice president of officiating — and it was pretty clear to me that it was already in place when they ruled on the Zach Ertz catch for the touchdown and the Corey Clement catch for a touchdown, Paolantonio said on NFL Live, per NESN's Zach Cox. "When (Riveron) had these conversations, he was in New York, with Troy Vincent sitting next to him, with Gene Steratore the referee on the field. They were having that conversation, and they were basically legislating on the fly during the Super Bowl. And now we've seen it enacted unanimously by the owners."

This is still blowing my mind #eagles #patriots pic.twitter.com/A6gKkHUm9P

Paolantonio stuck by his reporting in an interview Wednesday on ESPN Radio. Riveron, meanwhile, denied the assertion at a press conference.

"No, we did not," Riveron said when asked about whether the new rule was applied in the biggest game of the year. "In order for us to overturn a call, we have to see clearly indisputable evidence. And there was some slight movement, but we didn't see loss of control, we didn't see indisputable evidence that he did not have possession of the football."

Ertz's touchdown catch, which propelled Philadelphia ahead of New England late in the fourth quarter, looked similar to Steelers tight end Jesse James' overturned reception. Both receivers lost control of the ball upon hitting the ground. The difference, according to Steratore, who was the lead referee for the game, is that Ertz took enough steps to establish himself as a runner. James did not.

.@NFoles_9 to @ZERTZ_86 for the @Eagles TD!! #SBLII pic.twitter.com/WyaH93hkw2

The reason for upholding Clement's touchdown is murkier. The running back didn't seem to have total control of the ball before falling out of bounds. On the broadcast, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth said repeatedly he thought the pass should've been ruled incomplete. 

Nick Foles with the absolute DIME! #SBLII pic.twitter.com/xVaZmET7Y0

Curiously, the catch stood. It padded the Eagles' lead to double digits. 

In a recent interview with the "Dan Patrick Show," NFL executive Troy Vincent basically admitted Clement's touchdown was confirmed with the new rule in mind. "That slight movement of the ball — the old language read (if there's) slight movement, then that means you've got to overturn it," Vincent said. "(Now) you can have movement but you can still maintain control. We removed and got out of the business of slight movement. Because you can have movement but still be in control. The Clement play in the Super Bowl was the best example. The ball moved, but he had complete control over the ball through the process of the catch."

After a season full of officiating controversy, it's feasible to imagine the NFL taking the path of least resistance in the Super Bowl: don't overturn any touchdowns unless the call is obvious. But that's not how the rule was applied in the regular season. 

The Patriots have a right to call for a replay review of this mess.