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Cowboys: Why did the Chargers get the ball back in odd Jalen Tolbert play?

Originally posted on A to Z Sports
By Mauricio Rodriguez | Last updated 10/17/23

Come on, guys. It's the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Chargers in primetime football. You had to know weird things were bound to happen.

During the fourth quarter, the Cowboys were set to receive a punt after the defense had gotten another stop against Kellen Moore's offense. Only that instead of successfully securing the fair catch, Jalen Tolbert was pushed into him. He later got up and dove for the football, touching it before the Chargers did.

Tolbert being the first player to have touched it made it legal for the Chargers to grab it. Which they did. Chargers ball.

But, many might ask, was it not interference since Turpin called a fair catch? Why were they allowed to make contact? The thing is the Chargers didn't really make contact with Turpin. Instead, they forced Tolbert into him, which is legal per NFL rules. As @FootballZebras explained on Twitter/X, "There is active blocking engagement, so driving the teammate into the receiver is not a foul."

It is marginally not a foul, because the receiving team player was mostly passive and then was actively engaged just prior to disrupting the catch https://t.co/rHXjitc5OZ
—  Fᴏᴏᴛʙᴀʟʟ Zᴇʙʀᴀs (@footballzebras) October 17, 2023

In other words, had Tolbert just been standing around, the Chargers wouldn't have been allowed to shove him into Turpin. But since he was actively blocking, he can be driven into the returner.

What should really bother Cowboys fans

To me, the crazy part is the Chargers player driving Tolbert into Turpin is clearly doing so while grabbing Tolbert's facemask. That's as clear a hands to the face that you're going to get in the NFL.