Bengals win a Week 9 challenge they wish they never made

Field judge Karina Tovar rules the Bears DJ Moore carry out of bounds short of the goal line. She didn’t rule the feet out of bounds. She ruled that the ball crossed out of bounds short of the goal line.

The Bengals challenge the play, contending that Moore fumbled the ball out of the end zone, which would award the Bengals the ball at the 20-yard line.

Well, the Bengals won the challenge. Moore wasn’t out of bounds. Replay looks at everything, not just the challenged aspect. Bengals coach Zac Taylor was not charged a timeout and challenge, because a reviewable element was changed, even though that element was not germane to his challenge. By rule, that is a successful challenge.

The officials ruled that the ball broke the plane of the goal line before Moore lost control of the ball or was out of bounds. Moore shifted the ball so that it broke the plane of the goal line inside the pylon in his control. The officials reversed the call from out of bounds to a touchdown.

The Bears won the game 47 – 42.

That’s a successful challenge the Bengals wish they’d have let go.