Refs Win Again

The bizarre, convoluted rule regarding what is and isn’t a catch in the NFL reared its head at a key moment of Sunday’s playoff game between the Cowboys and Packers.  With Dallas facing fourth and two from the Green Bay 33, quarterback Tony Romo fired the ball deep down the left sideline to receiver Dez Bryant.

Bryant caught the ball, but he was falling to the ground while doing so.  After taking multiple steps, he landed on the turf — and the ball hit the ground.

Ruled a catch on the field, the Packers challenged.  And referee Gene Steratore reversed the ruling on the field, explaining that Bryant failed to maintain possession through the act of going to the ground.

At one point in the past several years, the rule regarding a catch made while a player is going to the ground created confusion and inconsistent calls.  It returned on Sunday with a vengeance, keeping the Cowboys from securing a first and goal at the one in a five-point game and instead giving possession to the Packers after the failed fourth-down conversion.

If the NFL is rigging games for the Dallas Cowboys, as so many screamed one week ago, somebody forgot to tell referee Gene Steratore.

A million conspiracy theories died a sudden and overdue death Sunday, when Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant’s incredible catch on fourth-and-2 was overturned and the Green Bay Packers ran out the clock to advance to the NFC Championship Game next week at Seattle with a 26-21 triumph.

The Cowboys came here with help from a pass interference flag that was picked up at a critical juncture in their NFC wild-card win over the Detroit Lions — a play on which the NFL’s head of officiating later admitted a defensive holding call was missed.

Sunday, they appeared to be a yard away from regaining the lead after hobbled Packers star Aaron Rodgers led a remarkable rally. Bryant leapt over Sam Shields to pull down what officials ruled was a 31-yard catch.

But Steratore — after a Packers challenge, a review and consultation with Dean Blandino in New York — ruled Bryant did not complete the process of the catch as he went to the ground and appeared to be trying to stretch the ball to the goal line with about 4 minutes to go.

The Packers took over and Rodgers completed two third-down throws, a 26-yarder to Davante Adams and a 13-yarder to a diving Randall Cobb that sealed the decision. He finished 24-of-35 passing for 317 yards and three touchdowns despite a strained left calf that severely limited mobility.

Now it’s on to Seattle to face a Seahawks defense that’s the best in the NFL, and the question is: Can Rodgers do it again?