Why Jaguars weren't called for safety vs. Cardinals on Parker Washington punt return into end zone

Billy Heyen

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Why Jaguars weren't called for safety vs. Cardinals on Parker Washington punt return into end zone image

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

If you just saw the end of the play, you likely ended up very confused. 

Jacksonville Jaguars punt returner Parker Washington was tackled in the end zone by the Arizona Cardinals.

Safety, right? 

Wrong.

Because of what happened before that.

Why wasn't it a safety in Jaguars-Cardinals?

The rule here depends on what happened before Washington got the ball.

Arizona punted the football, and it bounded toward the goal line. 

A Cardinals coverage guy leaped to try and save the ball from going in for a touchdown and threw it back into play.

That's when Washington grabbed the ball around the 5-yard line and took off. 

He ended up going backward, into the end zone, and being brought down.

But it's not a safety.

When the coverage team has already touched the ball, it cannot be a safety. It's almost like a bonus. The ball goes back to the place of the touch if the return man doesn't end up in a better spot.

So it was smart by Washington to give it a try. Nothing bad could happen to him there.

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