Late in the fourth quarter of a prime-time showdown, with the NFL’s last undefeated record in peril, Aaron Jones slammed into a wall of Arizona Cardinal defenders and disappeared.
Referees ran toward him. One signaled touchdown. Back in a New York office, and up in a stadium booth in Arizona, NFL officials questioned the call on the field. They scoured video for evidence. They watched one replay, then a second. Then a third, a fourth and a fifth. They needed proof that Jones’ backside had touched down before the ball reached the goal line.