Overview
- With 2:17 left in a 17–17 game, a 12-yard Tetairoa McMillan reception initially ruled a catch was overturned on a New Orleans challenge, and Carolina later lost 20–17.
- The admission, reported by Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk and echoed by multiple outlets, said the video did not meet the clear-and-obvious standard required to reverse the on-field ruling.
- On the play, McMillan secured the ball with both hands and a knee down as it touched the turf, retaining control with his right hand under the catch-definition language in Rule 3, Section 2, Article 7.
- Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira defended the in-game reversal as the receiver using the ground to complete the catch, a view the league later contradicted in its private acknowledgment.
- The result stands with no remedy offered, heightening scrutiny of replay consistency as the loss left Carolina tied with Tampa Bay for the NFC South lead, with the Buccaneers holding the tiebreaker and two meetings still ahead.