Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Does anyone have a list of playoff touchdowns that were called back because of a penalty?

Interesting question.

I'm not aware of any list of games where a touchdown was called back because of a penalty, whether it's for all games or just for playoff games. It would be a major undertaking, even though postseason accounts only for 11 games (and, in earlier years, between 1 and 9 games, depending on the season).

It does seem to have happened more often in recent years, what with the Cardinals-Packers game a few weeks ago, and twice in the same day last year. It would make a good study for folks with a lot of time, basically a search for the word "nullified". Even at that, posting of play-by-play summaries and gamebooks is still pretty recent-- PFRA's collection goes back all the way to 1960, but there are gaps, including some of the post-season games.

1992 Champ Game: Young to Rice TD on first drive (holding)
Super Bowl 30: Irvin TD denied due to pushing off

1951: Mac Speedie scored a TD on a long pass-run, but the TD was called back due to a holding penalty (the only holding penalty on Cleveland all day). Cleveland lost, 24 to 17 to the Los Angeles Rams.

1952: A pass was batted into the end zone and caught by Browns player (Darrell Brewster I think). The rule then had that 2 players from the same team could not touch the same pass. The player that touched the ball first for Cleveland was Ray Renfro. Renfro and Brewster were rookies in 1952, but were both starting due to injuries to Mac Speedie and Dub Jones. Lou Groza, who had injured ribs, missed 3 field goals that day. Cleveland lost to Detroit, 17 to 7.

Here's some I know about:

Bart Starr pass to Carroll Dale, Super Bowl I
Bob Griese pass to Paul Warfield, Super Bowl VII
Ron Jaworski to Rodney Parker, Super Bowl XV

Hasselbeck to Jackson, Super Bowl XL

1948 NFL Championship
Tommy Thompson throws a 67-yard TD pass on the first play of the game, but the Eagles are called for being offside.

1950 NFL Playoff
Charlie Conerly throws a touchdown pass to Bob McChesney that's called back for the Giants being offside.

1969 NFL Playoff
Roman Gabriel's pass is picked off by Carl Eller and returned 45 yards for a touchdown, but Alan Page was called for being offside.

1973 NFC Championship
On the opening drive of the game, Minnesota had an eight-yard TD run called back when Yary got flagged for holding Pugh.

1974 NFC Playoff
James Harris throws a five-yard TD pass to Jim Bertelsen, but Bertelsen gets called for offensive pass interference.

1979 NFC Championship (Two)
Cullen Bryant ran four yards for a Rams touchdown, but they were called for illegal procedure because Doug France had lined up as a WR.
With less than three minutes left, Tampa Bay's Mike Rae hits Jimmie Giles on a 27-yard touchdown, but the Bucs are called for illegal procedure.

1980 NFC Championship
Ron Jaworski hits Harold Carmichael for a 25-yard touchdown pass that gets called back because the Eagles' Woody Peoples grabbed John Dutton's facemask.

1981 AFC Championship
Steve Kreider scores a touchdown off a fake field goal, but the Bengals are called for holding.

1983 NFC Championship
Darrell Green gets a cross-field lateral from Nick Giaquinto on a punt return and scores a touchdown, but it's called back because it was ruled a forward lateral.

1984 AFC Championship
Dan Marino passes to Jimmy Cefalo for a touchdown, but the Dolphins are flagged for illegal motion.

1986 NFC Championship
Phil Simms throws a five-yard TD pass to Bobby Johnson, but the Giants get flagged for a penalty.

1988 NFC Playoff (Fog Bowl) (Two)
On back to back plays, Randall Cunningham hit Cris Carter for a nine-yard TD pass, but the Eagles were flagged for illegal motion. Then, Cunningham hit Mike Quick for a TD pass, but Philly was called for holding.

1990 AFC Championship
Jim Kelly hits Andre Reed for a three-yard touchdown, but the Bills are called for holding.

Not a touchdown, but ever-so-close:
1979 Divisional Playoff
Walter Payton breaks off an 84-yard run to the Philly one, but the Bears are called for illegal motion.

BD Sullivan wrote: Not a touchdown, but ever-so-close:
1979 Divisional Playoff
Walter Payton breaks off an 84-yard run to the Philly one, but the Bears are called for illegal motion.

You can see that play if you scroll up to the 1:21:40 point of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd97IXs5wbU

I think it's possible Payton got into the end zone, Herman Edwards slung him down over the pylon. Of course, no instant replay then, and even so, it wouldn't have been reviewed anyway due to the penalty, but I think it would have been just about impossible to determine TD or not. Too bad, would have been Sweetness's longest run of his career I believe.

The illegal motion penalty was on WR Brian Baschnagel, for moving forward before the snap.

BD Sullivan wrote:1983 NFC Championship
Darrell Green gets a cross-field lateral from Nick Giaquinto on a punt return and scores a touchdown, but it's called back because it was ruled a forward lateral.

I remember this vividly. It was too bad they ruled it a forward lateral, because it was a great play that appeared to be legal.

I may be wrong, but I do remember that in the 1983 NFC Wildcard between Dallas and the Rams a Cowboys TD was called back. I believe Doug Cosbie was the player who scored.