The Chargers were driving toward a potential touchdown on their opening drive of Sunday’s game against the Ravens when a flag was thrown at the end of a Justin Herbert run near the Ravens end zone.
Herbert appeared to be out of bounds when Ravens safety Geno Stone hit him at the end of the run, but the flag wasn’t on Baltimore. Stone’s hit led to a reaction from Chargers offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer and the Chargers had to settle for a field goal after Salyer was flagged for that hit.
After the game, pool reporter Joe Reedy of the Associated Press asked referee Alan Eck why there was no penalty on Stone. Eck said it was a “judgment call” that Stone committed to and began the hit before Herbert was clearly out of bounds.
“So, the ruling on the field was that the quarterback was trying to gain yardage,” Eck said. “While he was still in bounds, the defender committed to the tackle. And as his foot landed out of bounds, the defender made contact. So, since the defender already committed to the tackle while the quarterback was in bounds, it was deemed a legal hit.”
Eck went on to say Salyer’s “reaction was over the top” to explain why the Chargers wound up moving backward to kick off what would become a 20-10 home loss.