The Cleveland Browns fell to the Washington Redskins on Sunday, dropping their record to 0-4 on the seasons. If there’s one team that needs to catch a break from the officials, it’s Cleveland. They just aren’t getting them at the moment.
Browns RB Duke Johnson took his first carry on Sunday, got the first down, and immediately fumbled the football.
That alone isn’t the story. It is what happened next that has become the story.
Johnson’s fumble appears to hit the ground right underneath him and he recovers the fumble only to have the refs rule it Redskins ball as the scrum happens around Johnson.
Last week the bogus taunting penalty. This week the phantom fumble. Johnson never lost the ball. How does this happen?? pic.twitter.com/Uo8JZ39Wu0
— Jay Crawford (@jaycrawfordespn) October 2, 2016
The video makes it tough to see who actually recovered the fumble, but Johnson has strongly stated he was the one that came up with the football.
#Browns Duke Johnson said as far as he could tell, the #Redskins did not recover his fumble. He came up with the ball
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 2, 2016
The turnover was not reviewable by Hue Jackson and the Browns as it was automatically reviewed, but they disputed the call up and down. Not that he fumbled, but that he recovered it and the refs missed that in the scrum for the football. This maddening call comes after a controversial taunting penalty in Week 2 cost the Browns a chance to defeat the Baltimore Ravens.
According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the league isn’t seeing it that way (shocking, right):
#Browns debated Duke Johnson fumble was reviewed today. There is no evidence of a CLE player recovering it in the pile. Just out of the pile
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 3, 2016
Here’s a better look at Johnson clearly coming up with the football from Cleveland.com.
One has to seriously wonder how Johnson is standing up with the football in hand about two yards behind the scrum yet the Redskins have control of the football?
https://twitter.com/Moonlightswami/status/782944137842753536
It’s even more head-scratching that the NFL can’t see how Johnson came up with the football… but that would also require the league to admit its officials screwed up and we all know that isn’t going to happen.
