Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles played against the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game. The Eagles were the heavy favorites to win the game and played the game like it.
Philadelphia dominated all four quarters, and Barkley scored a stunning 60-yard touchdown on the Eagles’ first play of the game, but he was later involved in a controversial call.
Fans Angry With Saquon Barkley Benefitting From Controversial Call
The Eagles running back was tackled by Mike Sainristil and was stopped short of converting a first down on 3rd-and-10. Unfortunately for the Commanders, since Sainsristil hit Barkley close to the sidelines, he was flagged for it.
The referees ruled it as unnecessary roughness against the Commanders’ cornerback, and the Eagles got an automatic first down. The officiating has been a big topic of discussion this season, and in the Divisional Round, we saw the Kansas City Chiefs benefit from some of the questionable calls against the Houston Texans.
There was a huge uproar on social media throughout the week against the defending champions, and the same thing happened after the call went in the Eagles’ favor. The fans called out the league and its officials for inconsistent officiating, which has made everything tough for the defensive players.
Here are some of the reactions:
This is getting out of hand
— Terps Recruiting (@TerpRecruiting) January 26, 2025
“They need to change the rule. If the defensive player is completely inbounds, it shouldn’t be a late hit,” said a fan.
“Refs are legit asking defenders to do something that physically isn’t possible, or else they’ll get penalized,” added one fan.
Barkley's lowered his shoulder, the defender is already moving in that direction and has started his tackle process, it's a key third down. Just hate that call.
There's too much attention on how big the hit it on calls like this, rather than the context. pic.twitter.com/WGRyvIkfWy
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) January 26, 2025
“Refs controlling the game,” said one fan.
Another fan added, “The NFL has gotten so high on offense that it’s completely ruined the defensive side of the game.”
In no way should that be a late hit. Defender is inches away and then Barkley touches out of bounds.
— Fantasy_Huddle (@HolschersHuddle) January 26, 2025
According to a recent report, the league is planning to start using video assistance for new situations in 2025, including the dicey decisions made by the refs when the quarterbacks are sliding.
The incident with Barkley is another where the NFL could start using video replay assist in the future. These decisions can easily change a game’s outcome, as evidenced by the AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022. Mahomes was hit by Joseph Ossai in a similar way as Barkley.
Even if the call had gone in their favor, the Commanders might not have seen anything change as they struggled with turning the ball over. However, it would be better for the game and the fans if the standard of officiating was improved.
We see discussions around the referees’ decisions after every game on social media, which is not a good look for the league. Constant criticism from fans is not coming without a reason as they are fed up with how the outcomes of the games are being decided not by the football players but by the referees.
Hopefully, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the rest of the league’s officials will look into the matter this offseason and make the required improvements.
The Eagles are on their way to a second Super Bowl appearance in the last three seasons. Barkley had another big game, but Jalen Hurts played exceptionally well, and Philadelphia needed him to be at his best to win the Super Bowl in 2025.
