Sometimes you’ll see an NFL play snapped right after the play clock hits zero, and everyone will complain.
It’s fair to wonder why the NFL doesn’t treat the play clock more like an NBA shot clock, with strict enforcement, but it happens. What doesn’t happen often is a play being snapped a few seconds after the clock expires, no penalty being called and that play being the turning point in a win.
The Houston Texans lucked out. In their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, they snapped the ball long after the play clock expired, and Will Fuller V took Deshaun Watson’s pass 77 yards for a touchdown.