According to the rules and the NFL, the Ravens should have won Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-19.
Of course, it doesn't matter now. The Ravens are 2-7 at the end of the day and there's no going back.
The Jaguars did not legally get the final snap off in time.
"We looked at it and we talked to the league about it. If you saw it on tape, it's pretty obvious what happened as far as them not being set," Head Coach John Harbaugh said.
"The league's looking at it, they know it."
Per The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec and other reports, NFL Spokesman Michael Signora confirmed that the league errored on the play.
The NFL rulebook, in Rule 7, Section 4, Article 6, states, "All offensive players are required to come to a complete stop and be in a set position simultaneously for at least one second prior to the snap."
Watching the replay, it's clear Jaguars left tackle Luke Joeckel settled into his stance just as, or a hair before, the snap went off. He was not in his set position for one second.
Had the flag been thrown on the snap* *and the play been whistled dead, Elvis Dumervil's illegal facemask penalty never would have happened.
It should have been a 5-yard false start penalty that would have come with a 10-second clock runoff, which would have ended the game.
"There's nothing we can do about it now," Harbaugh said. "It's unfortunate, it's disappointing, it's gut wrenching, it's just the way it goes. But in the end, we have to overcome all of that stuff."
It isn't the first time the league has admitted it missed a call this year.
In Week 7 in Arizona, second-year referee Ronald Torbert didn't see guard John Urschel properly signal that he was reporting as an eligible receiver.
Instead of a 6-yard catch that would have moved Baltimore inside the 10-yard line, Urschel and the Ravens were penalized 5 yards on their opening drive and ended up settling for a field goal instead of a potential touchdown.
In that instance, Vice President of Officiating Dean Blandino said Torbert was busy "correcting a number from a foul on the previous play, and he just didn’t recognize [Urschel] signaling him."
Later in that same game, running back Chris Johnson was not ruled down after defensive tackle Brandon Williams had clearly stopped his momentum, allowing Johnson to get to his feet and break off a 62-yard run. Blandino did not comment on that play.
"I don't care about officiating, I don't care about weather, I don't care about field conditions, I don't care about our opponent," Harbaugh said. "That's the way our guys look at it. It does not matter. You have to find a way to overcome everything."
