Jon Gruden Puts The NFL On Blast With “Tuck Rule” Rant After Controversial ‘Backwards Pass’ In Broncos-Patriots AFC Title Game
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Jon Gruden teed off on the NFL during a controversial play in the Denver Broncos-New England Patriots AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
One of the great “what-ifs” in NFL history is the infamous Tuck Rule game. It was the final game of Jon Gruden’s first tenure with the Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders). For those unfamiliar, this is one of the plays that commenced the Patriots’ dynasty:
“The Tuck Rule Game.”
The ruling: an incomplete pass.
The result: the start of a legendary run of postseason success. (2001 Divisional: Jan. 19, 2002) @Patriots pic.twitter.com/skVvwaLWTJ
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) January 9, 2019
In the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game, Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham tried throwing the ball away to avoid a sack. The refs initially flagged him for intentional grounding, then changed it to a backward pass and a fumble recovery for the defense.
Drake Maye would score a touchdown to tie the game. Needless to say, the controversial ruling brought back bad memories for Jon Gruden:
Did someone say tuck rule?
I still don’t know what a fumble is! And I’m still having people explain it to me that can’t explain it! pic.twitter.com/uHB49pC3Z8
— Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) January 25, 2026
The Broncos had to start Stidham, with Bo Nix suffering a season-ending ankle injury in the Divisional Round. Stidham was playing near-perfect football before that brutal turnover.
In two tenures with the Raiders and seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gruden went 117-112-0, per Pro Football Reference.
