Just an aside - if the ball carrier merely touching his knee down gets a play called dead how can a guy laying flat on his back be capable of making a freak catch and advancing a ball like that?
I know they's the rules but it doesn't seem consistent.
As an example, suppose a running back has possession of the ball and he trips and falls, but no one from the opposing team has made contact. Because he was not down by contact, he can get up and run. But if he trips and falls, and someone from the opposition makes contact while he is down, the play ends. If a player is knocked down before he has possession, but THEN catches the ball, he is still not down by contact, because he was not in possession of the ball when he was knocked down. So he is able to get up and run. Of course, if he is down and catches the ball, and an opposing player makes contact, the play is dead.
In college games, anytime a player has possession of the ball and he is down, the play ends.
But I want to know the answer to a burning question: Did Wilson lose because he wasn't black enough, or did Brady win because of white privilege?
that’s a college rule.. in the NFL you can have a knee down and still be able to advance it’s only dead if a guy touches you and a knee goes down