Cardinals TE Trey McBride becomes latest victim of 'Calvin Johnson' rule on overturned TD
The infamous "Calvin Johnson" rule reared its ugly head again, and this time Trey McBride was the latest victim.
For those who need a refresher, the Hall of Fame wide receiver for the Detroit Lions had a winning touchdown wiped out after he caught the ball, got two feet in bound and lost the ball as a he was trying to maintain his balance going to the turf. When Johnson lost the ball in that act of not "maintaining control" going to the ground, his touchdown was ruled an incompletion, the Lions threw two more incomplete passes and lost the 2010 season opener to the Chicago Bears.
“The ruling is that in order for the catch to be completed, he has got to maintain possession of the ball throughout the entire process of the catch,” officials explained at the time.
Fast forward to 2023 and Sunday with the Arizona Cardinals facing off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it was déjà vu all over again.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray found McBride streaking up the seam and laced a pass to the tight end, who caught the ball, got his feet down ... but the ball came out when his elbow hit the turf.
Calvin Johnson will be pissed if they call this Trey McBride drop a catchpic.twitter.com/XJn9kAv5dt
— Scott Spratt (@Scott_Spratt) December 3, 2023
McBride tried negotiating with the referees to no avail. No touchdown.
Ultimately, the lack of a score lasted only one play.
Murray went right back to McBride on a third-and-goal throw. McBride caught the ball on the doorstep of the end zone, turned around and finally got his touchdown.
At the half, the Cardinals held a 10-3 lead over the Steelers. Arizona eventually completed the upset of the Steelers with a dominant 24-10 victory.