Why refs warned Commanders about awarding a score after jumping offsides 4 times
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 55-23 in the NFC Championship game. But the win didn’t come without several penalty calls, including the Washington Commanders’ Luvu leaps.
The referee who made the call, Shaun Hochuli, spoke to sideline reporters about the ordeal.
Timeline:
It’s the fourth quarter, the Philadelphia Eagles are up and have the first-and-goal.
Penalty no. 1
The Commanders' Jonathan Allen was whistled for lining up in the neutral zone.
Penalty no. 2
The Commanders stopped Hurts once. Then, linebacker Frankie Luvi leaped over the Eagles' offensive line on second down prompting a penalty for encroachment.
Penalty no. 3
Now at second-and-goal, Luvu leaped over the line once again prompting another flag.
Penalty no. 4
There was a repeat at second-and-goal. This go around, Allen was flagged for encroachment.
What they're saying:
"Washington has been advised that referees can award a score if this type of behavior happens again," Hochuli told the crowd.
"Simply put, a team can’t commit multiple fouls in an effort to prevent the score. So, No. 4 (Luvu) jumped the ball a couple of times, that was when the warning came in," he said. "Again, if it’s meant to prevent a score, we can essentially award the score."
Hurts then scored for the Eagles with a 1-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 41-23.
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Commanders 55-23 in the NFC Championship. The Birds will head to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this article.