The Philadelphia Eagles appeared to get away with a penalty on a huge play during the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.
The Eagles were leading the Washington Commanders 14-12 and had 4th-and-5 near midfield late in the first half at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. Nick Sirianni opted to go for it, and Jalen Hurts completed a 31-yard pass down the left sideline to AJ Brown.
Hurts and Brown got a huge assist from Saquon Barkley on the play. Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu blitzed and was picked up by Barkley, but FOX analyst Tom Brady felt the running back got away with “a little bit of a hook.”
FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira agreed and said Barkley should have been called for holding.
"I think [Saquon Barkley] gets away with a little bit of a hook…" – Tom Brady
"I don't think there's anything to think about. That was clearly a hold and should've been called." – Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira 🏈🦓🎙️#NFL pic.twitter.com/uM4Uf2vuGJ https://t.co/A4Dl2oxC0s
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 26, 2025
You can find a hold on almost any play if you look for it, but both Brady and Pereira thought that one was obvious.
The Eagles scored a touchdown on the drive to take a 20-12 lead. They likely would have punted had the holding penalty been called, so they definitely got away with one.
