Steve Brownlee

Let’s take a look at an unusual play that occurred Sunday in JerryWorld, or whatever it is they call the Cowboys’ home stadium somewhere around Dallas.

It’ll be a good distraction from what had to be the Packers’ worst week of the season — the loss to New Orleans in Week 1 notwithstanding — and the Lions’ best — they didn’t lose, even if they didn’t win or tie, either.

Oh, sorry, did I type that out loud? I just meant to say, text, Tweet, Instagram or whatever social media platform I’ve never used, to myself.

So back to the unusual play. You may have seen a quick video about it in the run-up to the 4 p.m. game Sunday that some of you might have been paying more attention to.

Follow closely, as there’s two players from each team directly involved in this play and a whole bunch of other people at the game who didn’t understand what the correct ruling should be.

Count me among them, at least until it was all explained after I looked it up online Monday night.

Let’s set the scene. The Cowboys were already trailing 16-0 to start the third quarter when Denver took the second-half kickoff and went three-and-out.

So punting on 4th-and-14 from their own 17-yard line, Broncos’ kicker Sam Martin did get his foot on it, making contact with the ball at the 8. It also made contact at the same time with the right armpit of Dallas wide receiver Malik Turner as he stretched for the block.

But the ball wasn’t knocked backward, as instead it bounced one time on the field while still going forward and off to the left a little bit. When it reached Cowboys rookie cornerback Nahshon Wright, the ball was about head high as he had backed up to around the 19.

Wright reached for the ball between the 18 and 19, but it only skipped off one of his hands and continued bouncing right into the hands of Denver linebacker Jonas Griffith as he sprinted ahead until he was brought down at the 28, still three yards short of a first down.

Both TV announcers on the YouTube video I found were convinced it would be the Cowboys’ ball, as did every Dallas player on the field, most every Denver player you could see, and a couple coaches on both sidelines, particularly Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel.

The announcers were still excited about the blocked punt and the big turn of events even when the TV screen showed a bunch of referees huddled together.

Then one ref spoke into his on-field microphone and explained their ruling — Denver ball. And it was actually quite a simple explanation once I read up on it.

Regardless of whether a punt is touched or not in an attempt to block it, if the kicked ball passes the line of scrimmage, it becomes a live ball once it is touched by the receiving team.

It didn’t matter whether the ball went a yard or two beyond the line — which is what it did in this case — or traveled 40, 50 or 60 yards through the air like a typical punt.

Basically they called it a muff on the catch, eligible to be grabbed by the kicking team. Which they did.

Without the muff, Dallas would’ve taken over deep in Broncos territory and possibly get within one score. Instead, Denver eventually built a big 30-0 lead and won 30-16.

OK, there’s the lunch bell, so class is dismissed. Now let’s examine my picks, hopefully not as closely as this:

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Thursday, 8:20 p.m.

Baltimore at Miami — After all the unlikely upsets last weekend, I should try to come up with a reasonable scenario for an upset in every game.

Start here — the Dolphins beat Houston to double their win total while the Ravens had to survive overtime to beat Minnesota.

Can’t do it, I still gotta take the Ravens, 30-20.

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Sunday, 1 p.m.

Atlanta at Dallas — This one seems more likely as the Falcons have won three of their last four. Just don’t tell anybody that before New Orleans on Sunday, Atlanta had barely squeaked by the Jets and Miami while giving Carolina their only victory in October. Can’t do this one, either. Cowboys, 34-26.

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Jacksonville at Indianapolis — An even more tempting upset pick. But the Jaguars haven’t won a road game in 693 days, according to The Associated Press, and the Colts like to run the ball, which is where Jacksonville’s struggling defense is supposed to be at its best. That must mean you can pass vs. the Jags, which should help Indy quarterback Carson Wentz as many mistakes as usual. Finally, Indy’s also had 10 days off. Colts, 29-27.

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Cleveland at New England — I don’t even know who the underdog here is between a pair of 5-4 teams. It seems like whoever can impose their will should win. At this point, I’ll trust veteran coach Bill Belichick over sometimes-hot, sometimes-cold QB Baker Mayfield of the Browns. Patriots, 26-20.

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Buffalo at New York Jets — If their debacle against Jacksonville wasn’t so fresh, I could be tempted by this upset — well, then, it’s the Jets, so maybe not so much. Bills, 36-24.

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Detroit at Pittsburgh — I took the Lions once, vs. the Bears six weeks ago, and I vowed not to do it again, at least until they actually win. Trust me, I know that you know that I know they haven’t won. Steelers, 31-27.

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New Orleans at Tennessee — Two teams gashed at key spots by season-ending injuries — Saints QB Jameis Winston and Titans running back extraordinaire Derrick Henry. Tennessee seems to be less affected by it, though. Titans, 24-19.

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Tampa Bay at Washington — If I’m to believe all the stories about Tom Brady, he should now know everything there is to know about the jumping tree frog of Madagascar, since he’s coming off his bye week and had all that extra time to study. Forget Double Jeopardy!, even on the football field, it’s Buccaneers, 33-24.

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Sunday, 4 p.m.

Carolina at Arizona — Kyler Murray should be happy to be back in the huddle in case he was worried backup QB Colt McCoy might be trying to steal his job. Cardinals, 35-21.

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Minnesota at Los Angles Chargers — At 3-5, the Vikings have a better point differential (plus-3) than the Chargers do at 5-3 (minus-2). That just shows me who’s better at winning close games. Like this score. Chargers, 28-27.

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Philadelphia at Denver — Speaking of point differentials, Denver is at a plus-34, the best in the AFC West even as they’re in the basement, though only a half-game out of first place.

They started out the season winning three in a row, then lost four in a row, and now have won two in a row. Seems like it should go to at least three straight before either the Chargers or Chiefs end it for them later this month. Broncos, 23-19.

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Seattle at Green Bay — Do you see a Dak Prescott thing with Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers having two weeks off from games and at least 10 days away from practice? Some pundits are saying Prescott was rusty coming back from three weeks off last Sunday. Naw, Rodgers’ muscle memory must be pretty good by his “advanced” age. Packers, 33-23.

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Sunday, 8:20 p.m.

Kansas City at Las Vegas — Vegas was supposedly reeling from receiver Henry Ruggs III’s arrest in a fatal car crash where he was allegedly drunk and driving at 156 mph. Then another 2020 first-rounder, Damon Arnette, was cut Monday after a disturbing social media post. Not what you want with a heated rival on deck. Chiefs, 29-23.

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Monday, 8:15 p.m.

Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco — The Rams looked like they were twisting in the wind on Monday night, but it seems that the 49ers have been doing that all season. One bad week seems easier to bounce back from. Rams, 27-23.

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Last week — 8-6, 57 percent. Season — 87-49, 64 percent.

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.