The Philadelphia Eagles statistically dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15. But the Steelers were still four yards away from taking an early lead in the all-Pennsylvania matchup.
Well, the Steelers were four yards away until the officials called two personal foul penalties against Pittsburgh rather than offsetting fouls during a post-play shoving match.
When asked if the officials provided him with an explanation as to why the Steelers, and not the Eagles, were penalized in the scrum, head coach Mike Tomlin kept his response very brief.
“Not a sufficient one,” he told reporters.
Steelers tight end Darnell Washington literally blocked Eagles cornerback Darius Slay into the first row of the stadium. Officials called Washington for unnecessary roughness on the play.
Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III also received an unnecessary roughness penalty for running into the crowd of players pushing and shoving behind the end zone.
What the officials missed, though, was the Eagles weren’t just pushing and shoving. Video captured Slay throwing a punch at Washington after he couldn’t stop Washington from pushing him nearly into the stands.
Referee Alan Eck told the media after the game that, “No pushes were observed on the field (by the Eagles),” via Steelers insider Mark Kaboly. “There was no video evidence of punches observed by the Philadelphia Eagles.”
Mike Tomlin Frustrated Eagles Throw Multiple Punches, Don’t Get Penalized
Simply put, Eck was wrong. There was plenty of video evidence that showed not just Slay but also Eagles defensive back Quinyon Mitchell throw a punch during the incident.
Slay punched Washington after the tight end “put him on roller skates.” Mitchell threw a punch at Austin after the Steelers wide receiver entered the fray to defend his tight end.
In the NFL, the retaliatory player usually receives a penalty. While Austin’s penalty fell under that category, in this incident, the Eagles retaliated twice and yet received no penalties.
Mike Tomlin didn’t elaborate on what the explanation was from the officials that he considered “not sufficient.” But it’s easy to see why he was frustrated about the incident after the game.
The FOX Sports broadcast booth, which included Tom Brady and NFL rules expert Dean Blandino, argued that the officiating crew should have penalized the Eagles for throwing punches.
How Much Impact Did No Offsetting Penalties Have?
To be clear, the Steelers deserved to penalized on the play. But offsetting fouls would have significantly changed Pittsburgh’s offensive possession.
On the play that led to personal fouls from Washington and Austin, the Steelers gained 7 yards on a Najee Harris reception. The Steelers running back went out of bounds at the 4-yard line.
Had Slay or Mitchell received a personal foul penalty to offset the Steelers penalties, Pittsburgh would have faced second and 3. The Steelers could have also gained a first down at the 1-yard line.
One play or penalty never defines an NFL game. The Eagles went on to outgain the Steelers 401-163. Philadelphia allowed Pittsburgh to have just two second-half possessions. The Steelers ran only 11 offensive plays after halftime.
The Eagles didn’t win because the officials missed the punches from Slay and Mitchell.
Still, the Eagles set the tone early with a 17-3 lead. The first half could have been very different if the Steelers had the opportunity to score a touchdown from inside the 5-yard line.
Eck and his officiating crew may have changed the complexion of the Steelers-Eagles matchup by missing the punches thrown from the Philadelphia players.
