The Detroit Lions are one of the most creative teams in the NFL. During Sunday Night Football, they used a trick play where quarterback Jared Goff served as a receiver and running back David Montgomery passed him the ball. At first, it all worked as the Kansas City Chiefs weren’t able to stop the play. However, a late flag brought the play back and an ‘illegal motion‘ penalty was marked. Here, we’ll explain how that rule works.

This is Rule 7, Section 4, Article 2, Item 3 of the official NFL rulebook. It states, “It is legal for a T-Formation Quarterback to go in motion, whether he has placed his hands under center, on his knees, or on the body of the center. However, it is a false start if the action is quick and abrupt. If the player fails to come to a complete stop for at least one ful

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