Ref Explains Obscure Rule That Almost Gave the Eagles a Free Touchdown

‘Simply put, a team can’t commit multiple fouls in an effort to prevent the score,’ referee Shawn Hochuli said.
Ref Explains Obscure Rule That Almost Gave the Eagles a Free Touchdown
Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) celebrates a touchdown by quarterback Jalen Hurts during the second half of the NFC Championship game against the Washington Commanders in Philadelphia on Jan. 26. Derik Hamilton/AP Photo
John Rigolizzo
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NFL audiences were introduced to an obscure rule during the NFC Championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were set up with first and goal on the 1-yard line after a long run by running back Saquon Barkley. Chaos ensued as it took six plays for the Eagles to get into the end zone; this included four snaps of the same second-down play as the Commanders defense continued to jump offsides in an effort to stop Philly’s patented “Brotherly Shove” play. The referee later explained that an obscure rule could have awarded the Eagles six points.

The NFL Rulebook, Rule 12, Section 3, Article 2, states:

The defense shall not commit successive or repeated fouls to prevent a score.

Penalty: For successive or repeated fouls to prevent a score: If the violation is repeated after a warning, the score involved is awarded to the offensive team.

“Simply put, a team can’t commit multiple fouls in an effort to prevent the score,” game referee Shawn Hochuli told the press pool after the game, via the Washington Post. “So [Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu] jumped the ball a couple of times. That was when the warning came in. Again, if it’s meant to prevent a score, we can essentially award the score.”
While the offense can deliberately try to draw the defense offsides, their behavior is regulated by the play clock; if they don’t and the play clock runs out, the offense gets pushed back five yards for delay of game. “With the defense, since we deem it as an effort to prevent the score—a repeated act—that’s where the potential for awarding the score comes in,” Hochuli added.
The Eagles began their goal-line stretch with just under 14 minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Before the snap on first down, Commanders defensive lineman Jonathan Allen took an offsides penalty for lining up in the neutral zone. On the next play, quarterback Jalen Hurts lost the football during the snap and was stopped by the defense, bringing up second down.

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On the next play, Washington linebacker Frankie Luvu leaped over both the defensive and offensive lines before the ball was even snapped, leading to an encroachment penalty. Luvu made the mistake again after biting on a hard count; this time landing behind the center after Hurts backed away from the line. The officials warned the Washington sideline that if the defense jumped offsides again intentionally, it would become an unsportsmanlike conduct foul. Allen bit on another play and jumped offsides again on the next play; at that point, Hochuli announced that at some point, the officials would award the Eagles with the touchdown if the defense continued to foul.
Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata said he didn’t know about the rule until after the team had scored. He praised Hurts for his “mental warfare.”
“Jalen did a tremendous job there to keep us cool, calm, collected, just because of all the extra stuff they were doing, all the extra chatter. ‘J’ just kept changing up the cadence on them, and we had to stay locked in, so I think the mental side of that ... was wearing them down a lot.”
“I was trying to inform them they were kind of lined up offsides,” Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner said after the game. “They called us for a penalty—I think it was [Allen]. I was like, ‘They’re pretty much offsides too. I guess I need to refresh myself [on the rules]. I didn’t know they could just award a touchdown.”
The Eagles would eventually punch in the touchdown to go up 41-23. Even had the referees given them the score, it would not have mattered, as the Eagles scored two more TDs for a final score of 55-23.
John Rigolizzo
John Rigolizzo
Author
John Rigolizzo is a writer from South Jersey. He previously wrote for the Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Campus Reform, and the America First Policy Institute.
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