On Sunday night, Detroit took the opening drive down the field and scored a touchdown. Until they didn’t.
A trick play on fourth and goal from the one, featuring quarterback Jared Goff going in motion before (barely) catching a touchdown pass from running back David Montgomery, was wiped out by a penalty. Illegal motion.
Five yards. The Lions settled for a field goal.
The relevant provision (as confirmed by the NFL) appears at Rule 7, Section 4, Article 2, Item 3: “It is legal for a T-Formation Quarterback to go in motion, whether he has placed his hands under center, on his knees, or on the body of the center. However, it is a false start if the action is quick and abrupt. If the player fails to come to a complete stop for at least one full second prior to the ball being snapped, it is illegal motion.”
Goff failed to come to a stop for at least one full second before the snap. That prompted the penalty.
For the Lions, the error came either from the play design or from the execution by Goff. Either way, he needed to stop for at least one full second before the ball was snapped. He didn’t. Which made it a penalty.
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