The NFL has reviewed Wes Welker’s crushing hit on Aqib Talib in the AFC Championship game, and according to Pro Fotball Talk, it was a legal blow.
The pick play would eventually take Talib out the game, allowing the Broncos outisde passing game to dominate an already banged up Patriots secondary.
NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino has confirmed that Welker’s hit — which knocked Talib out of the AFC Championship Game — was legal.
“Under the current rules, this is a legal play,” Blandino said, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Blandino’s phrasing — “under the current rules” — suggests that the NFL’s Competition Committee will look at such hits during the offseason and consider a rules change that would protect defensive players from getting drilled by one receiver while they’re trailing another receiver.
The NFL will reportedly look at tinkering with the rule, so defenseless defensive backs aren’t left exposed while trailing a wide receiver.