Dallas Cowboys

Mike Pereira explains why Dez Bryant's touchdown was reversed

Published Sep. 11, 2016 6:39 p.m. ET

foxsports

It's probably safe to say Dez Bryant is not the biggest fan of replay.

The Dallas Cowboys star wideout appeared to haul in a spectacular leaping grab over Giants safety Landon Collins in the second quarter Sunday. The play was initially ruled a touchdown on the field, but like every TD in the NFL, it was automatically reviewed.

It appeared Bryant had control of the ball when the play occurred in real time, but when you take a closer look he loses control of it when he hits the ground.

So did the refs get it right?

"It is not a catch," FOX Sports NFL rules expert Mike Pereira said. "He's going to the ground, and the ball comes loose. Actually, it comes loose in his hands. ... The key point is even though the ball didn't hit the ground, which I don't think it did, it was loose in his hands while Dez was touching out of bounds.

"So that makes it a loose ball touching a player out of bounds, which converts it to an incomplete pass. So good decision in New York and in Dallas in changing that from a touchdown to an incomplete pass."

Bryant was pretty much a non-factor in the first three quarters against the Giants, being held to one catch for 8 yards up to that point.