Overview
- The play unfolded on Thursday night at Soldier Field when quarterback Caleb Williams handed the ball to guard Joe Thuney on second-and-3 from the New England 8 and officials flagged an illegal forward handoff.
- By rule, a forward handoff may go only to an eligible receiver, so an offensive lineman can legally receive the ball only on a backward handoff, and Thuney did not receive the ball far enough behind Williams.
- The penalty wiped out a four-yard gain that would have set up a first-and-goal and instead led to a 31-yard Cairo Santos field goal that left four points on the field in Chicago’s 30-24 victory.
- Ben Johnson said the play had been practiced in a legal fumble/scoop variant, defended running it as a coach’s risk, Caleb Williams said he didn’t know the rule existed, and Thuney called the moment “fun, but illegal.”
- Media outlets criticized the coaching staff for missing the clear rules issue and questioned whether the episode will increase scrutiny of staff preparation or become a setup for future trick plays now that the look is on tape.