EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Mike Zimmer is just like the rest of us struggling to figure out what does and doesn’t constitute as a catch in the NFL.
Before halftime in the Vikings' 31-24 loss to the Panthers, Adam Thielen landed in bounds after catching a pass in the corner of the end zone on third down. Thielen had possession of the ball initially, but once his body made contact with the ground, the ball shifted in his hands. The Minnesota receiver had control of the ball the entire way before hitting the ground.
The NFL’s rule for completing a catch states that a player “must maintain complete and continuous control of the ball until after his initial contact with the ground, or the pass is incomplete.