Bears TE Zach Miller Suffers Gruesome Dislocated Knee On Overturned Touchdown
(CBS) Bears tight end Zach Miller appeared to have held onto a pass in the end zone as his left leg bent awkwardly, but not according to the NFL rules.
What initially was ruled a touchdown catch for Miller late in the third quarter was overturned upon replay review and ruled an incomplete pass, a brutal break for the Bears in a 20-12 loss to the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday. The Bears were forced to settle for a field goal while Miller was carted off the field with his left leg placed in an air cast. Coach John Fox told WBBM Newsradio 780 after the game that Miller was taken to the hospital with a dislocated left knee.
The sequence occurred on a third-down play as the Bears trailed 14-3, with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky lofting a pass to Miller in the right side of the end zone. Miller leaped and managed to corral the football. As his left leg bent awkwardly against the ground, the ball was ruled to have been released from his possession on the ground upon replay review.
During the FOX broadcast, former NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino determined that it should have been a completed catch and a touchdown. The Bears settled for a Connor Barth field goal, which cut the deficit to 14-6.
Without a key playmaker working with the offense, the Bears came up short against the Saints and fell to 3-5 on the season.