Eagles fans in for nasty surprise if they think officiating has already bottomed out

Remember that NFL official strike a few years ago and how bad the calls had gotten? Don't ask us why, but that crossed our minds while watching the Philadelphia Eagles outlast the Jacksonville Jaguars. Philly didn't play up to their standard at times, but the Jags' comeback was aided by poor officiating and a crew we hope we never see call a Birds game again.

They basically handed Jacksonville a touchdown in the fourth quarter (which also led to an ensuing two-point conversion). Sheesh. And, once we watched a replay on NFL Plus, something else caught our attention. Tiki Barber was part of the game-day call.

Like, why?

May this twilight zone of an NFL Sunday never happen to us again. That's what we thought. Oh well... At least we don't have to worry about such strange happenings on Sunday.

Then again, we just looked at referee assignments, so never mind. There's a chance the calls could actually be worse

Referees for Eagles vs. Jaguars

Head Referee (Crew Chief): Alex Kemp

After watching Alan Eck's squad botch several calls last week (and most in the Jacksonville Jaguars' favor), we said nothing could be worse than drawing his officiating crew again.

We have led you astray. We were wrong about that.

Enter Alex Kemp. We most certainly wouldn't call him a fan favorite. He seems to have a grudge against the entire city of Philadelphia. If our math is correct, the Birds boast a 1-4 record when he's been the referee, and strange calls and moments always seem to occur.

Remember that 32-21 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 10 of the 2022 NFL season? Remember that Christmas Eve loss to Dallas the same year? Yep! That was him and his crew.

The lone win we mentioned was Boston Scott's big day at MetLife Stadium in 2019. That's the exception, not the rule, however. Things just seem to go bad when he's around like the 'Eagles funeral' vs. the 49ers last season.

Philly has been flagged 29 times for 242 yards when he has called one of their contests. Meanwhile, the opposition has been flagged 22 times for 233 yards. Philly has been outscored 158-129 in those games.

Kemp has been public enemy number one in Philly for a while. Place him on the 'WANTED' posters. This is his seventh season as an NFL official and his 11th overall.

He'll wear the white hat and the Number 55 in black and white. Here's his full officiating crew.

• Umpire (89): Mike Morton - 3rd season
• Down Judge (100): Robert Richeson - 1st season
• Line Judge (59): Rusty Baynes - 15th season
• Field Judge (28): Sean Petty- 2nd season
• Side Judge (99): Lo van Pham - 3rd season
• Back Judge (93): Scott Helverson - 22nd season
• Replay Official: Gerald Frye - 5th season
• Replay Assistant: Julie Johnson - 2nd season

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Time & Channel for Eagles vs. Jaguars

Watch the Eagles vs. Cowboys clash on CBS. Tune in via our buddies at Fubo TV to do so. Watch on NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube TV if you live outside the coverage area. NFL Plus provides condensed, full-game, and All-22 replays of the game once the broadcast ends.

We'd advise that the Birds not leave this one in the refs' hands.

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