Tyler Shough Drops Honest Quote on NFL Rule After Saints' Controversial Loss to Cousins, Raiders

The New Orleans Saints are searching for answers after another controversial fumble call cost them a win.

In the fourth quarter of Sunday's 35-27 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, Saints quarterback Tyler Shough lost the ball in the red zone, and it was recovered by Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby. While Shough appeared to have begun his throwing motion when he was hit in the arm, the call stood as a fumble. It was the first of four straight turnovers by the Saints in the final frame.

The situation conjured up memories of New Orleans' Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions, in which a fumble by Jared Goff that was recovered and returned for a touchdown was overturned and ruled an incomplete pass. After Sunday's loss that dropped the Saints to 1-2 this year, Shough admitted that he's unclear about the league rules regarding the matter because he felt he should've been given the same ruling that Goff received.

"I thought I threw it. Me, personally, I thought my arm was going forward," Shough said, per ESPN's Katherine Terrell. "I'm not exactly sure on the rule. It doesn't really matter to me. I've got to get it out sooner regardless."

▶️ Full Raiders-Saints Recap

05:42

Terrell noted that Goff's fumble was ruled an incomplete pass "because of a little-known rule that states any intentional movement of the quarterback's hand starts a forward pass, even if the ball goes backward." Mark Butterworth, the NFL's vice president of instant replay, said in a pool report that he stood by the ruling on Shough's fumble because the defender hit both the ball and Shough's hand.

"The quarterback clearly lost control of the ball before his hand was coming forward," Butterworth said.

When asked about the similarities between Shough's fumble and Goff's incomplete pass, Butterworth said, "If the defender contacts the passer prior to the passer starting his throwing motion, it can be ruled as a backward pass. Because Goff had already started his throwing motion, and then the defender contacted him, it is therefore a forward pass."

The Saints have no choice but to regroup and try to bounce back when they face the NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons (1-2) on Monday Night Football in Week 4.