Refs miss "illegal bat"call: The Detroit Lions' offense was inches from pulling off a dramatic come-from-behind win against the Seattle Seahawks' "Legion of Boom," but Kam Chancellor punched the ball out of Calvin Johnson's grasp before the receiver was able to cross the goal line.
It was a great play rooted in great awareness by the Seahawks' safety, and his heroics helped Seattle avoid a 1-3 record and, potentially, save their season.
One thing that was missed was the tail end of the play, where linebacker K.J. Wright intentionally batted the ball out of the end zone–a play that should've resulted in a penalty, giving Detroit the ball within inches of pay dirt.
"On TV it looked like the Seahawks player intentionally hit the ball. That is a foul," NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said, via ESPN. The result of the penalty would give Detroit possession enforced at the spot of the fumble. With half the distance to the goal line, Detroit would have had a first down."
Instead, it was ruled a touchback and gave Seattle the ball on their own 20 yard-line with about 1:50 left in regulation. Russel Wilson would go on to complete a 50-yard play on third down to Jermaine Kearse, sealing the win for the Seahawks.
The back judge, who had a clear view of the play, didn't think that there was intent behind the bat, according to Blandino. However, Wright admitted that there was, indeed, intent.
"I wanted to just knock it out of bounds and not try to catch it and fumble it," Wright said after the game. "I was just trying to make a good play for my team."
At 0-4, the Lions are now the only win-less NFL team and find themselves in last place in the NFC North. At 2-2, the Seahawks are back in the thick of the NFC West.
Bills to work out Trent Richardson: With injuries to both LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams, the Buffalo Bills are bringing in Trent Richardson for workouts Tuesday.
Richardson is among a group of running backs who will work out for the team. The 25-year-old was cut by the Oakland Raiders early in training camp. It initially looked like his NFL career could be over after disappointing seasons with the Browns and Colts, but he's been given another opportunity to prove what he can do with the Bills.
The former third overall pick has averaged just 3.3 yards per attempt and 44.2 yards per game over three NFL seasons. He will attempt to save what has been a bust of a once promising NFL career.
Giants LB declares NFC East "wide open:" New York Giants linebacker Jon Beason stated what most of the NFL already knows Monday when he claimed the NFC East to be a "wide open" division.
“It’s wide open,’’ Beason said, via the New York Post. “It’s still too early to say anybody is the favorite, which is a good thing. You start off 0-2, it’s tough to stay in the race, especially when you lose a divisional game."
The Giants improved to 2-2 after an impressive 24-10 win over a blossoming Buffalo Bills squad. With the current state of the Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins, the Giants might just be the team in the best shape to make a run for the division title.
However, it's still too early to tell after just four games. The Giants blew fourth quarter leads in each of their first two games this season. If it weren't for a play here and there , the Giants could very well be 4-0.
Dolphins fire head coach Philbin: The Miami Dolphins fired head coach Joe Philbin Monday after a disappointing 1-3 start to the 2015 season.
"This was a tough decision for me to make knowing how tirelessly Joe worked in his four years here to make this a winning team," Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said in a statement, via ESPN. "He is a man of the highest character and integrity that I developed a close personal relationship with.
"I am extremely disappointed with how we have started the season, but I feel confident that we can improve quickly with the talent we have on our roster."
Philbin, 54, went 24-28 as the Dolphins' head coach since taking over in 2012. Tight end coach Dan Campbell will assume duties as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
"I'm not here just to finish the season up,'' Campbell said Monday, via ESPN. "That's not my plan. We're coming here to win games. It's still early. We have time to turn everything around. But we can't wait.''
The Dolphins' offense ranks 25th in yards per game and 30th in total points. Defensively, they rank 30th in yards allowed per game.
