"EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he didn't believe his team committed a penalty on a pivotal missed field goal attempt in Sunday's 30-27 overtime lossto the New York Jets.
Nick Folk's missed 56-yard field goal try was nullified due to an unsportsmanlike penalty call on defensive tackle Chris Jones for pushing a teammate in an attempt to block the kick.
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Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe/Getty ImagesBill Belichick argues with officials following a critical overtime penalty on the Patriots.
The officials ruled that Jones was a second-level defender that pushed teammate Will Svitek from behind, a violation of Rule 9, Section 1, Article 3 that states: "Team B players cannot push teammates on the line of scrimmage into the offensive formation."
Though Jones did appear to push Svitek, he was originally lined up on the line of scrimmage. The violation is said to occur only when the pushing player starts at the second level of the defense, which is what Belichick took exception to.
"You can't push on the second level," he said. "I didn't think we did that."
New York, given new life, ran the ball three times to set up Folk's game-winning 42-yard field goal.
Referee Jerome Boger explained his decision after the game.
A strange penalty helped the Jets beat the Patriots in OT Sunday. Is New York for real? What about New England?
"The call was that No. 94 [Jones] on the defense pushed his teammate into the formation," he said. "That is a rule change for 2013 that a teammate cannot push a teammate into the opponents' formation."
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