Screengrab courtesy: FOX.
Saskatchewan Roughriders fans know all too well how many players should be on the field each snap for one team in a Canadian Football League game. Rider Nation would have been able to tell the Seattle Seahawks there were too many men on the field Sunday in a CFL game, let alone an NFL one.
The Jacksonville Jaguars lined up for a two-point convert attempt in the fourth quarter after scoring a touchdown to make it 20-12, and the Seahawks’ defence lined up with 13 players on the field. That penalty put the ball at the one-yard line, but the Jags could not pay it off as rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten was stopped off the left side.
In the NFL, there can only be 11 men on the field for each team on a given play, whereas the CFL plays with 12. Seattle had two extra men on the field for the crucial snap, but it did not cost them as the Seahawks improved to 4-2 on the road in Duval County, Fla.
It’s been over 15 years since the most infamous too-many-men penalty in CFL history. Flashback to November 29, 2009, the Riders thought the 97th Grey Cup had been won — until it wasn’t.
Alouettes’ kicker Damon Duval lined up for a 43-yard field goal for what was thought to be the final play in the game. His kick went wide right, and Jason Armstead brought the ball out of the end zone and took a knee. Saskatchewan’s sideline, along with Green and White fans, celebrated, but that turned out to be premature.
There were flags on the field for too many men. The game cannot end on a defensive penalty, which gave Duval another chance from 10 yards closer. He hit from 33 yards out and Montreal won 28-27 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
