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Was Victor Cruz Really Declaring Himself Down or Did the Cardinals Get Screwed?

If you watched yesterday's Giants-Cardinals (NFL) game or highlights later on, you probably saw the controversial late-fourth-quarter play that some are arguing the refs blew and cost Arizona the victory. Here's what happened: New York's Victor Cruz caught a pass from Eli Manning, broke one tackle, and then, when he saw three Arizona defenders converging on him, dropped to the ground. Untouched, he got up and tossed the ball as if to move quickly on to the next play. But the Cardinals pounced on the ball and argued that it was a fumble since he wasn't yet touched and wasn't down by contact. The refs thought otherwise.

They said that Cruz intentionally gave himself up and fell to the ground so that the Giants could continue their late drive. Rule 7, Section 2, Article 1 (e), page 35 of NFL Rule Book states: "Official shall declare ball dead when runner declares himself down by falling to ground or kneeling & making no effort to advance." The Cardinals couldn't challenge the play and the Giants were able to continue their drive, which ultimately ended in a game-winning touchdown.

But did Victor Cruz intentionally fall to the ground and give himself up or did he trip and thus, untouched, really did fumble? Watch the video below and Sound Off in the Comments with your opinion.

This Giants fan's contention is that Cruz definitely gave himself up. He saw that he was a sitting duck with the Cards about to pounce on him. And once down, knowing how much time was left, he immediately flipped the ball, as if to give it to the refs and get going with the next play. Yes, I'm biased, but if I saw any other player do that, I would say the same thing.

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