The infamous "Calvin Johnson" rule reared its ugly head again, and this time Trey McBride was the latest victim.
For those that need a refresher, the Hall of Fame wide receiver for the Detroit Lions had a game-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 to the Chicago Bears in 2010.
“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 deja vu all over again.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray found McBride streaking up the seam. 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.
McBride tried negotiating with the referees but to no avail. No touchdown.
Ultimately, that lasted all of one play.
Murray went right back to Trey McBride on a third-and-goal throw. McBride caught the ball on the doorstep of the end zone, turned around and finally got his score.
At the half, the Cardinals have 10-3 lead over the Steelers. McBride has six catches for 67 yards and the lone touchdown of the game.