Pats' Henry disputes overturned TD: 'I caught it'

MINNESOTA -- New England Patriots choky extremity Hunter Henry's 6-yard touchdown reception successful the 3rd 4th was overturned by instant replay Thursday night, a determination that near him perplexed pursuing a 33-26 nonaccomplishment to the Minnesota Vikings astatine U.S. Bank Stadium.

"I judge I caught it," Henry said precocious Thursday nighttime successful the Patriots' locker room. "He said it deed the ground. But I judge my manus was nether the ball. The manus was nether the ball, with hitting the ground, that's what benignant of caused it to leap up.

"They made the call. Just got to unrecorded with it."

On the third-and-goal play from the 6-yard line, backmost Mac Jones fired a walk adjacent the extremity enactment to Henry, who was covered by Vikings antiaircraft backmost Chandon Sullivan. Henry had some hands connected the shot arsenic helium lunged toward the extremity line.

Officials initially ruled it a touchdown, earlier overturning the telephone to an incomplete walk pursuing a lengthy review.

A touchdown would person fixed the Patriots a 30-23 pb midway done the 3rd quarter, assuming a palmy point-after attempt. Instead, they settled for a 25-yard tract extremity by Nick Folk. The Vikings past scored the game's last 10 points.

NFL vice president of officiating Walt Anderson explained the overturned telephone successful a excavation report, saying: "He was going to the ground, the shot ended up touching the ground, and past helium mislaid power of the shot successful his hands."

Asked to explicate wherefore Henry wasn't granted possession earlier the shot deed the ground, Anderson said: "Because arsenic he's going to the ground, helium has to support power of the shot upon contacting the ground. The word that's commonly utilized is 'surviving the ground' ... helium has the elements of 2 feet and control, but due to the fact that he's going to the ground, helium has to support power of the ball."

As the replay process was unfolding, Vikings manager Kevin O'Connell said helium thought it would either beryllium ruled a drawback conscionable abbreviated of the extremity enactment oregon an incomplete pass.

"I deliberation it's 1 of those things that could person gone a batch of antithetic ways. I was precise blessed that it went the mode it did," helium said.

Henry had 2 hands connected the ball, but Anderson said that unsocial wasn't enough.

"If helium had maintained power of the shot with 2 hands, adjacent if the shot were to interaction the ground, that would inactive beryllium a catch," helium said.

Henry, successful his seventh NFL season, had lone seen the replay portion watching it connected the scoreboard astatine U.S. Bank Stadium. In the aftermath of Thursday's game, helium planned to "really look astatine it successful the movie room, and conscionable effort to beryllium amended and power the shot each the mode done truthful there's not adjacent a question."

The Patriots inactive had chances aft the ruling, but were doomed by self-inflicted wounds, specified arsenic a running-into-the-kicker punishment successful the 4th fourth that turned a punt into an eventual Vikings touchdown.

"We person to determination connected from that [overturned] play and play the remainder of the game. There was plentifulness of clip left," Jones said. "There were different times we could person punched it successful and that wouldn't person been an issue. One telephone can't find the outcome. We person to beryllium capable to bash better, truthful it's not adjacent close."