Call in Chiefs-Browns game sends Raiders’ Derek Carr soaring on Twitter trends
.JPG "Cleveland Browns wide receiver Rashard Higgins (82) fumbles the ball over Kansas City Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen at the goal line during the first half of an NFL divisional round football game, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in Kansas City.")
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr weighed in on a momentum shifting call during the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns AFC Divisional playoff game.
He kind of had to. The play sent his name skyrocketing up the list of Twitter trends.
Carr has been on the bad side of similar calls twice in his career.
On Sunday, the referee ruled a touchback after the Browns’ Rashard Higgins fumbled just short of the goal line, with the ball continuing on into and through the end zone.
“Well, obviously that’s the worst rule in football,” Carr tweeted.
Carr clapped back after another Twitter user argued, “You’re rewarding effort on the defensive side of the ball.”
The ex-Fresno State star’s point: “Did they recover the ball? If the ball goes out before the pylon it’s the offense’s ball,” he said in the subsequent tweet.
Carr quickly became the top trend on Twitter after Higgins’ fumble.
In two instances, Carr was victimized by the rule, once in 2017 against the Dallas Cowboys and again last season against the Green Bay Packers.
So it was a double dose of déjà vu in the Twitterverse as the Higgins fumble triggered fans memories of what Carr did in the past.
The Browns were trailing 16-3 when Higgins reached out into the end zone as Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen delivered the hit. The ball was knocked loose, went into the end zone and then bounced out of bounds..
The Chiefs drove the other way to set up a field goal as they took a 19-3 lead into halftime. Kansas City went on to a 22-17 win and will host Buffalo and ex-Firebaugh High and Reedley College quarterback Josh Allen in next Sunday’s AFC Championship game.
Many on Twitter, however, seemed just as interested in reacting to Carr trending as they were in the playoff game itself.
This story was originally published January 17, 2021 at 3:01 PM.
