Rule Clarification and Citation

[Jim D]

Originally Posted by cdoug

Probably should have said this in the OP, sorry.

The play I was thinking of the receiver was in the air drifting toward the sideline. He may have come down IB but was hit and ended up OOB. I know it's a HTBT but was just thinking about technically, according to the rules.

Thanks for all the replies.

If he only "may" have come down in bounds, call it incomplete. This rule is only for when you're sure he would have come down in bounds. The idea is not to give any advantage to the receiver, but rather to keep the defender from carrying an airborne receive out of bounds for a cheap incompletion.