Questioning the logic of 1) the curious break-the-plane rule and 2) awarding touchdowns to ball carriers who hit a pylon but not the end zone.
From Week 17: One of the Top 5 All-Ugly touchdown rulings of the 2025 regular season. Visit the Film Room at FixtheRule.com to view the compilation clip and see all five. If you're a logical person, it's an exasperating experience.
George Kittle pokes a pylon. The pylon is 100 percent out of bounds. End zone goes untouched. Even so, Kittle is awarded a touchdown—for hitting an out-of-bounds object. Why do fans consider this to be sensible? FixtheRule.com
Pylons are positioned 100 percent out of bounds. So why is hitting one with the ball, despite the runner never touching the end zone, considered a touchdown? Are not ball carriers expected to avoid all things out of bounds. Seems very odd. FixtheRule.com
Week 9: Chicago's DJ Moore gets knocked out of bounds near the 1 and loses control of the ball as he sails outside of the pylon. But someone thinks he momentarily waved a nub of the ball above the pylon during that sequence, so he is awarded six points despite never touching the end zone. What a gift.
Week 9: The Jaguars Trevor Lawrence breaks out the bunnyhop move on fourth-and-goal for a no-touch touchdown, bypassing the end zone (too much trouble) and choosing instead to just break the Great Invisible Plane.
Against Tennessee, Mississippi State tight end (and London native) Seydou Traore zooms drone-like with ball in hand over a tiny wedge of the end zone, never touches the end zone itself, lands far out of bounds and still gets credited with six points. Yet another no-touch touchdown.
Superior effort should be rewarded, right? So who makes the better play here? Detroit's David Montgomery, who gets stood up before he reaches the goal line? Or the two Ravens defenders who knock him down short of the end zone? Surprisingly, due to the break-the-plane rule, Montgomery get six points for briefly, barely leaning into the end zone's airspace. Tough break for the defense.
Against Illinois, Omar Cooper of Indiana misses the end zone entirely but manages to smack the pylon, which is 100 percent out of bounds. For some reason, hitting this out-of-bounds object is considered worthy of six points. Who thinks this rule is a smart idea?
Against Wisconsin, Alabama's Germie Bernard collects sox points without ever making contact with the end zone—a strange reality made possible by the mystifying break-the-plane rule.
Against South Carolina in Week 3, Vanderbilt's Sedrick Alexander demonstrates how to earn a touchdown without touching the end zone. The break-the-plane rule makes such oddities possible.
Here's first pylon poke of the 2025 season, courtesy of Patrick Mahomes. The pylon gets touched, but noine of the end zone. Doesn't matter. For some wacky reason this is still considered worthy of six points.