The Eagles’ win over the Falcons on Thursday night was a penalty-filled mess, but on one penalty in particular, the Eagles say the officials accidentally called it on them when it was actually on the Falcons.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson told ESPN he’s convinced that when the officials called offsetting penalties on an Eagles punt in the fourth quarter, both of the penalties were actually on the Falcons. The officials called holding on No. 39 on the Eagles, but there was no No. 39 on the field for the Eagles. Replays did show that No. 39 on the Falcons, Deante Burton, committed holding.
What may have happened is that the official who threw the flag told the referee No. 39, the referee misunderstood and thought it was No. 39 on the Eagles when it was actually No. 39 on the Falcons, and no one fixed the error after the referee enforced it.
Such mistakes have happened before. In 2016 the officials admitted to the Lions that they had enforced a penalty against them that they’d meant to call on the Bears. Pederson said he’s submitting the play to the league for an explanation.
