Super Bowl XII anomaly

[Flamma]

Can someone please explain this to me? The situation starts at around the 1 hour 53 minute mark.

Early 4th quarter Roger gets strip sacked and Denver recovers. Denver has the ball first down just over their own 44 yard line. Pitch right and Waters is flagged for a facemask penalty.

Here's where it gets weird. Denver gets a 1st and 10 from their OWN 41 yard line? How is that possible? It should be just past the Cowboys 41 yard line, not Denver's.

Did they screw this up and no one notice?

Was face masking not a yardage penalty back then? If so, why spot the ball 3 yards back from the original LOS? Help me out here.

 

[Jake]

Can someone please explain this to me? The situation starts at around the 1 hour 53 minute mark.

Early 4th quarter Roger gets strip sacked and Denver recovers. Denver has the ball first down just over their own 44 yard line. Pitch right and Waters is flagged for a facemask penalty.

Here's where it gets weird. Denver gets a 1st and 10 from their OWN 41 yard line? How is that possible? It should be just past the Cowboys 41 yard line, not Denver's.

Did they screw this up and no one notice?

Was face masking not a yardage penalty back then? If so, why spot the ball 3 yards back from the original LOS? Help me out here.

Facemask rules have changed over the years. At the time, there was the 15 yard "flagrant" variety or the 5 yarder if you grab then let go.

The 5 yarder was a spot foul. The grab occurred back at the 36, so five yards and still first down (because it happened on first down). Had it been a 15 yarder that would've been a personal foul as you know it today.

I still love that sloppy SB. I hated Craig Morton.

 

[Risen Star]

The league has been cheating for the Cowboys for quite awhile.