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Jets timeout fiasco (and officials' mistake?) costs them a late touchdown

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

New York's Geno Smith threw a beautiful 36-touchdown to Jeremy Kerley to tie the Green Bay Packers late in the fourth quarter on Sunday ... except that the Jets called a timeout right before the play. No touchdown after all. And before going all #LOLJets about that blooper, it seemed like the officials should have never granted the timeout.

CBS' replay showed offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg furiously signaling and yelling for a timeout. Only a head coach can call a timeout from the sideline, which former referee turned analyst Mike Carey pointed out on the broadcast.

The timeout was granted anyway.

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It appeared Mornhinweg might have been trying to yell to head coach Rex Ryan to take a timeout, for whatever reason. Ryan was standing very close to an official near the sideline, and it appeared that he never signaled for timeout. The official standing near Ryan was watching the field, probably didn't realize immediately that the voice he heard from behind him wasn't from the head coach. Defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson stepped up behind the official and said something in his right ear, and the official turned to that side after halting play. Richardson confirmed he told the official to call timeout, via Bob Glauber of Newsday:

Either way, someone on the Jets' sideline was at fault, too. And probably more than the official who can't always turn around to see who is telling him he needs to call timeout.

Ryan confirmed he didn't call the timeout, via Kimberly Martin of Newsday:

That wiped out a touchdown that would have made the score 31-31 with the PAT, and the Jets couldn't convert after that score was taken off the board. The Packers held on to win 31-24.

So the Jets can bemoan the touchdown that was taken off the board because of a timeout that technically should never have been granted.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!