What is a touchdown?
The Detroit Lions gave us perfect examples Sunday of the contention between what is and isn't a touchdown in the first half of their season-opening matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.
In the first quarter, it appeared Calvin Johnson had caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford. Upon review, officials determined Megatron didn't control the ball all the way through the process, even though he got two feet down and broke the goal line. Simply put, the Calvin Johnson rule bit Calvin Johnson once again.
Nearing the end of the half, Lions running back Joique Bell dove at the goal line from the 2-yard line. The ball popped loose and was ruled a fumble on the field. After review, it was determined -- correctly -- that the nose of the ball broke the goal line, giving Bell the touchdown.
To summarize the rules: A wide receiver must complete the catch after breaking the goal line for a touchdown to count, but a running back doesn't have to complete the run for it to count as a score.
It makes sense to someone.
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