The Philadelphia Eagles appeared to get away with a penalty on a key play late in Sunday’s NFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Eagles were leading 19-15 and had 4th-and-4 at the Rams 32-yard line midway through the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. They decided to go for it rather than attempting a long field goal in snowy conditions, and Jalen Hurts completed a 9-yard pass to AJ Brown to move the chains.
But did the Eagles get the snap off in time? The play clock was clearly at zero when Hurts called for the snap. In fact, it appeared to be at zero for more than a full second:
I know the refs give a count when it hits '0' before they call delay of game but https://t.co/Jv1FeY0VwY pic.twitter.com/fo8zC0D7Nk
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) January 19, 2025
A delay of game is rarely ever called immediately upon the clock hitting zero. Offenses typically get a half-second or so to snap the ball after the play clock expires, but it seemed like the Eagles were given even longer than that.
Philadelphia went on to kick a field goal on the drive to take a 22-15 lead, so the no-call was big. The Rams will probably want an explanation from the NFL on that one.
