Field Goals: When is a Field Goal Attempt Successful

In week 11 of the 2007 NFL season, we saw two such instances of a field goal attempt striking "some object" and returning through the goal.

Instance 1: Cleveland Browns v. Baltimore Ravens

The "New" Cleveland Browns - the successor franchise to the history and records of the original Cleveland Browns - went into Baltimore at 5-4 on the season to face not the Baltimore Colts, the cities historic team, but the Baltimore Ravens - the "Original Browns" which left the city of Cleveland after the 1995 season to become the Baltimore Ravens.

The clock stood at 0:04 seconds with Cleveland at the Baltimore 33 yard line. The Ravens had just gone ahead on a 47-yard field goal with 31-seconds remaining after coming back from a touchdown deficit. It took the Browns one 39-yard kickoff return, two passing plays and 26-seconds to drive within field goal distance.

The kick sailed straight and true, until just before reaching the uprights. Wind took the ball to the left and it clanged off the left upright, was redirected down, clanged off the stanchion behind the goal and returned through the goals.

The Ravens had apparently won the battle of "The Browns." The players, however, were told not to leave the field. For over 4 minutes the teams remained on the sidelines, when the head referee returned to the field to announce that after "discussion on the field," the field goal was good and the game went into over time. In OT, the Browns won the toss and drove for almost 6-minutes before Phil Dawson kicked a 33-yard field goal to win the game.

Instance 2: New England Patriots v. Buffalo Bills

The 9-0 Patriots were leading the Bills 42-7 in the third quarter. The Bills had advanced the ball to the Patriots 34-yard line, but their 6-play drive fizzled. At 4^th down and 7, rather than take the chance of getting a new set of downs in a blowout game, the Bills elected to go for a long field goal.

Ryan Lindell lined up for a 53-yard attempt for the 7^th play of the drive. The ball sailed straight and true through the uprights, and clanged off the NBC television camera mounted on the upright stanchion, approximately where Dawson's kick had bounced a few hours earlier, and back through the uprights.

Having had the experience of the Browns game earlier, this time the call was correctly made in short order and the field goal counted. Patriots 42 - Bills 10.