For the Wild Card game between the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles, both teams had great energy in Lincoln Financial Field as Jake Elliot kicked off for the hosts. Packer returned. Keisean Nixon struck it from one yard deep in the end zone, but at the 27-yard line, a tremendous hit knocked the ball loose.
Disaster for the Green Bay Packers.
A melee erupted to claim the first possession, which was a pile of green and white shirts. On-field officials ruled that the Eagles recovered the ball. A Philadelphia player emerged from the pile with it. Nixon, on the other hand, appeared to maintain control of the ball despite being plainly down. The Eagles defender appeared to pull the ball away from him, taking it into his own hands before a mass of bodies obscured the rest of the play.
Perhaps referees saw any movement in his hands as a lack of control, allowing the opposition team to take it away. A decision may go either way. Perhaps the ball was moving just enough. One X user proposed a theory: To make sure of the call, the play went into review. Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady were undecided in the FOX broadcast booth as they reviewed the replays playing on the big screen, including a top-down angle that officials could not see live. Brady appeared to lean toward calling the play a fumble.
The Verdict
Following a replay review, crew chief Brad Allen announced that the play stood as called. The Philadelphia crowd exploded again three plays later, when the Eagles scored on an 11-yard touchdown throw from Jalen Hurts to receiver Jahan Dotson. Philadelphia is 7-0. The Packers got off to a bad start in the opening 1:39 of the game. “Down by contact isn’t a thing, I guess,” said another fan. That’s one way to explain things. Whether or not the correct call was made, many Packers supporters were left scratching their eyes to clear their vision and try to understand the upheld decision.
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