If the NFL ruled the Isaiah Likely non-touchdown between the Ravens and Steelers again today, would it stand this time? NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent didn’t say that explicitly. He did, however, do just about everything short of it while talking about the league’s instant replay process last year.

Late in a 27-22 Steelers win over the Ravens, Isaiah Likely made what appeared to be a successful catch in the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown. Officials ruled it a touchdown on the field, but replay review overturned the ruling. It was one of the most controversial plays of the season, and Likely still can’t make sense of it.

“There was the Likely play”, Vincent said recently, via Mark Maske. “That was interesting because of the third step, and they were talking about the ball extended out. So it was: What constitutes a catch”? He went on to say there were about five plays in total out of 171 replay reviews that merited further consideration.

Vincent was evidently careful not to say that the NFL would have ruled any of these plays differently. Even the Isaiah Likely play, which is the only play he mentioned in any kind of detail. “There were five plays that we said if we had to do it again—on just the replay assist, in general”. He did not clarify what would follow after the “if we had to do it again”.

The NFL would like a do-over on five instant replay rulings from the 2025 regular season but not on the interception ruling during overtime of the Bills-Broncos playoff game. pic.twitter.com/ZgevOyKQjG

— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) February 24, 2026

As I explained at the time, by the letter of the ruling, it seems reasonable for the NFL to have ruled that Isaiah Likely did not complete the catch process within the context of securing the football in the end zone, resulting in no touchdown. It’s also worth noting that Troy Vincent said the league is satisfied with the catch rule as is. There remains, however, some concern with regard to ambiguity, such as the arm extension as a “football move”. What type of extension is a football move, and what not?

It’s obviously far, far too late for it to matter now, but the Steelers going 2-0 against the Ravens last season helped Pittsburgh go to the playoffs, and quite possibly resulted in John Harbaugh’s firing. Of course, Baltimore still had a chance to win after Likely’s touchdown being overturned, too. Even on that drive, it was only first down. And then the Ravens had a whole other possession to end the game.

It will surely remain a controversial chapter in the Steelers-Ravens lore, however, and has fueled renewed calls for the NFL to improve its rules and replay review process. Too often, many argue, things that are apparently not a catch very much look like a catch. If Pat Freiermuth rather than Isaiah Likely had made the same play, I’m sure many Steelers fans would be similarly angry.