Last Sunday we had one of the most entertaining Superbowls to ever go down, but one game-deciding holding penalty has fans questioning the game’s legitimacy. The Chiefs were marching down the field and it looked like they were going to be held to a field goal the Eagles would get a chance to score again, but then the Refs threw a questionable flag. Was this the right call? Let’s talk about it.
Was The Holding Penalty The Right Call?
When you look back at the play you can see James Bradberry get a very slight tug of JuJu Smith-Schuester’s jersey at the beginning of the route which is where the flag was called. It’s definitely a tough call because Bradberry hardly got him and it didn’t seem to affect the route too much, though there was definitely a bit of a hold. Some people believe it was during the beginning of the play at the very start of the route, but if that’s what it was called on it would be within the first five yards where that is completely legal.
James Bradberry admitted at the end of the game that he definitely got a bit of Smith-Schuester’s jersey and he was hoping the refs would let it slide, so that helps to justify the call a bit more but it’s still a little questionable. When you watch the tape from certain angles it doesn’t look like he touched him at all, but from the right angel you can see a little bit of jersey graze his hand. So even though you can make a case the refs need to call that, there is a certain unwritten rule that was broken and that’s what we’ll talk about next.
Should The Holding Penalty Have Been Called In That Situation?
There is an unwritten rule in the NFL that if a call is soft or could go either way and you’re not sure about it and it would decide the game you should not call it. While that may seem wrong it is how things should go so you don’t decide the game on a call that looking back shouldn’t have been called. Though in this case there was a bit of a hold, at the time it was clear that it could’ve gone either way and you aren’t supposed to call a penalty there.
Another thing that makes the call questionable at this point in the game is, in almost every play there is a holding at some point from either the receiver or corner and is not called 80% of the time. So if you’re going to make a weak call like that you’re expected to be consistent with it whether you are going to let them play or call those every time and let them adjust to it. So when you’re not calling it the whole game, you should not call it in a game-defining moment where the Eagles could’ve had more time to try to come back and score. Ultimately even though it was the right call, it was not the right time to call it.
Is The Chiefs Win Still Deserved After The Holding Call?
While the Eagles should’ve had a shot to tie or win the game at the end this game was far from undeserved by the Chiefs. They came back from a double-digit deficit after looking like they potentially could’ve lost Patrick Mahomes due to an ankle injury. On top of that, they were expected to fall off this season after losing Tyreek Hill, but all they did was become better and make it out as Champions. So while it sucks the game was decided by a soft penalty, the Chiefs deserved this win big time.
