Ja’Lynn Polk reacts to the overturned TD grab against the Dolphins

Ja’Lynn Polk reacts to overturned TD grab against Dolphins originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

With just over a minute left in Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk appeared to put his team on top with a phenomenal grab to the back of the end zone.

The excitement at Gillette Stadium was short-lived. Polk’s go-ahead touchdown attempt was thwarted despite appearing to have both feet on the field. However, upon closer inspection, it became apparent that his heel was clearly out of bounds. This is usually an incompleteness.

“If any part of the foot goes out of bounds during the normal continuous motion of a step (heel-toe or toe-heel), then the foot is out of bounds,” the NFL rule book states. “A player is inbounded if he drags his foot or if there is a delay between heel-toe or toe-heel contact with the ground.”

The overturned decision was a blow as the Patriots lost their fourth straight game, 15-10. Polk addressed the controversial call after the loss.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s clear to see that I have both feet in,” Polk said. “But we’re not in this situation if I’m doing my job the whole game, making the key blocks for our guys on the field and just paying attention to details.”

Polk ignored the officials’ justification for the overturned TD that his heel was out of bounds.

“As a receiver, you have to catch the ball and get in with your feet. I feel like I did that,” he said. “I don’t know, I can’t speak for them.”

The Patriots offense once again struggled to push the ball downfield, totaling 299 yards, including just 160 yards through the air. They were also penalized 12 times, just four fewer than in the first four games of the season.

Polk (one catch for 13 yards on six targets) had a mix of drops and penalties, but was far from the only Patriot to make costly mistakes in Sunday’s game. Still, he was responsible for his mistakes.

“I did it to myself,” the second-round pick said. “I have to know my job and what to do whenever we go out to put on plays. If that’s true, you just need to know the little details, what you’re doing, know the situation so that everyone is on the same page.” …

“I have to play better, I have to do better, I have to train harder,” he added. “I have to find ways to do whatever I can to help the team get better and myself.”

The Patriots need Polk and their offense to bounce back next Sunday against the 4-1 Houston Texans. Kickoff for this tough matchup is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.