After spending the two weeks ahead of Super Bowl LIX responding to conspiracy theories about officiating, the NFL probably did not love what happened in the first five minutes of the game itself.
The Chiefs were beneficiaries of a controversial call on the first drive of Sunday’s game at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La. On a crucial 4th and 2, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown was called for offensive pass interference against Chiefs DB Trent McDuffie, which wiped out a 32-yard gain that would have had the Eagles in the red zone.
Replays showed that any contact between Brown and McDuffie was fairly limited. FOX’s Tom Brady audibly groaned when he saw the replay and said he “(didn’t) like that one bit.” Rules analyst Mike Pereira agreed, arguing that the pass interference “did not need to be called.”
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Pereira later reached out to the league and said the call was made because Brown had his hands on McDuffie’s facemask, but he still felt the contact did not rise to the level of a penalty.
The Chiefs have been recipients of some favorable calls throughout the postseason, contributing to a narrative that the league has been favoring them. Commissioner Roger Goodell has tried to push back on that during the leadup to the game, and the head of the NFL Referees Association called the conspiracy theories “insulting.”
In all likelihood, this was just an overzealous flag. However, it was the first penalty of the game, favored the Chiefs, and wiped out a big play for the Eagles. For those who want to believe the conspiracies, this is a perfect example they can point to.
