NEW ORLEANS – The officers had been a giant storyline headed into the Tremendous Bowl thanks partially to social media conspiracy theories about favoritism towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.
They had been a giant a part of the primary quarter of the sport with each groups ending up on the mistaken facet of an in depth name.
The primary questionable name got here on the opening drive of the sport when the Philadelphia Eagles appeared to transform a fourth-and-2 from midfield with a 32-yard move from Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown.
However the official instantly threw a flag as a result of Brown shoved cornerback Trent McDuffie’s facemask. Whereas there was some contact, Fox officiating analyst Mike Pereira mentioned it shouldn’t have led to a flag.
These sorts of shut calls which have tended to go in Kansas Metropolis’s favor in current playoff video games have fueled the conspiracy theorists and have been a serious subject all week. Commissioner Roger Goodell known as the allegations “ridiculous” throughout a information convention Monday and the head of the officiating union known as it “insulting.”
On Philadelphia’s subsequent possession, the shut name went the Eagles’ means. Hurts threw an incomplete move to Dallas Goedert on third-and-5 from the Kansas Metropolis 42. However the officers as soon as once more threw a flag as a result of McDuffie made contact with Goedert’s facemask and Pereira didn’t like that decision both.
Three performs later, Hurts scored on a 1-yard run for the primary rating of the sport.
The Eagles acquired assist from one other key third-down penalty on their subsequent possession with Charles Omenihu getting known as for lining up within the impartial zone, negating a third-down sack that may have pressured a punt.
Philadelphia grew to become the primary workforce since no less than the 2000 season to transform two third or fourth downs by penalty within the first quarter of a Tremendous Bowl.
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