The NFC Championship game got silly.
But it revealed a rule most probably weren’t even aware of.
The Eagles, leading 34-23, drove all the way down to the Commanders’ 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter.
“Encroachment, defense No. 93. Washington has been advised that at some point the referee can award a score if this type of behavior happens again. For now, it’s a replay of second down.” – Shawn Hochuli, after Fox’s Mike Pereira alluded to this as well.pic.twitter.com/jZcDABVdMv
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 26, 2025
Philadelphia tried, and failed, its vaunted tush push on first down, but Jonathan Allen was called for offsides.
The Eagles lined right back up in the formation and tried the tush push again, but were stuffed.
That’s when the Commanders turned the game into a circus.
As the Eagles lined up yet again in the tush-push formation, the Commanders were called for three-straight encroachment penalties — two on Frankie Luvu and one on Allen — while trying to get a jump on the snap.
Eventually, the referees moved the ball about as close to the end zone as possible.
And after the third encroachment penalty, crew chief Shawn Hochuli announced that “Washington has been advised that at some point the referee can award a score if this type of behavior happens again.”
The Commanders heeded the warning and did not commit another encroachment penalty, and Jalen Hurts subsequently scored on a tush push with ease to increase the Eagles’ lead to 41-23 with the extra point.
Later in the quarter, Saquon Barkley scored — his third touchdown of the game — to increase the Eagles’ lead to 48-23 before they won, 55-23, to advance to Super Bowl 2025.
