Do replays show Giants' Lawrence wasn't offside on field goal?

New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com

Do replays show Giants' Dexter Lawrence wasn't offside for game-deciding field goal?

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Sep 17, 2021 3:15 PM ET

The New York Giants, their fans and most people watching via television believed Big Blue had earned a hard-fought victory at the Washington Football Team Thursday night after Washington's Dustin Hopkins pushed his game-winning field-goal attempt wide. However, New York's Dexter Lawrence was flagged for being offside, Washington was given an untimed down, and Hopkins converted his second try to give the hosts a 30-29 win.

There's just one issue: Lawrence may not have jumped early.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio pointed out earlier on Friday that at least one camera angle seems to show that Lawrence timed his start perfectly and at the very beginning of the snap of the football. Internet sleuths have since investigated.

Yeah…. Dexter Lawrence wasn’t offside he just got a perfect jump on the snap

pic.twitter.com/8HdomALNs1
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) September 17, 2021

Needless to say, even slow-motion replays aren't 100% conclusive.

Was Dexter Lawrence offsides last night?

( @ghayner7)
pic.twitter.com/UwS9rTaleb
— PFF (@PFF) September 17, 2021

Dexter Lawrence jumps offside as Hopkins misses the game-winning field goal.

On the next chance, Hopkins send Washington home with the win pic.twitter.com/fa9X9nUXgx
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) September 17, 2021

I am mentally torturing myself re-watching the Dexter Lawrence "offsides".

Every single time I re-watch I change my mind.
— Ethan vs. NHL Insiders (@EthanGSN) September 17, 2021

To his credit, Lawrence made no excuses when speaking with reporters.

Dexter Lawrence on jumping offsides: “That’s on me. I have to be more disciplined in … a critical situation.”

Lawrence it seems didn’t think he was offsides a day later. “My opinion really don’t matter,” he said. “We lost the game. The refs called what they called.”
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) September 17, 2021

The Giants will now prepare to host the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 26.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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