WOW, the Eagles got away with one. Ward knocked the ball away from DeVonta Smith… Should’ve been incomplete. Eagles went quickly & the 49ers didn’t challenge. pic.twitter.com/MQgL2hzfFo
— FTB (@anotherFTBacct) January 29, 2023
Stop here if you’ve heard this before, but the NFL’s replay review system botched a call in the NFC championship game. Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith went viral on social media with a one-handed catch down the sideline, converting a crucial fourth down deep inside San Francisco 49ers territory. Two plays later, the Eagles scored an early touchdown run to go up 7-0.
Only it’s not what should have happened. Other angles from the play showed Smith losing the ball as he went to the ground, clearly losing possession of it in what should have been ruled an incomplete catch. That would have stopped Philadelphia on fourth down and set up the 49ers offense at their own 35-yard line. Any of the multiple official on the field should have seen that, but they missed it. And the NFL’s system for overseeing things remotely should have covered for them, but they missed it, too.
The replay assistant in New York has the ability to run an expedited review and look at the play from all angles, though a coach’s challenge would have been needed to start a full and thorough review. Still, it shouldn’t have taken long for the replay review system to do its job and make the correct call here. You have to tip your hat to Eagles coach Nick Sirriani and his offense for hurrying to snap the ball on first down to prevent a San Francisco challenge.
But this is twice in five years that NFL officiating and the league’s much-lauded instant replay system has fallen flat. We saw the same thing happen when the Los Angeles Rams got away with uncalled pass interference against the New Orleans Saints in the 2018 title game to help them get to the Super Bowl. The referees on the scene didn’t do their jobs, and the officials expressly employed to look out for them didn’t do their jobs either.
It’s embarrassing. But it is what it is. Until the NFL stops pinching pennies and invests in full-time officiating crews and greater transparency in how it manages games, these gaffes are going to continue to be a weakness for the sport.