There was plenty of discourse surrounding the NFL officials leading up to Super Bowl LIX, mainly due to the Chiefs seemingly benefitting from most calls throughout the 2024 season. It was a big concern for the Eagles heading into the game, and it didn't take long for them to be on the receiving end of a bad call.
They started things off well by getting the ball first, even if they didn't win the coin toss, and were moving the ball downfield. They then made the ballsy decision to go for it on fourth down, which is not heard of in the Super Bowl, but the Eagles know what they're up against on Sunday.
Jalen Hurts made a perfect throw to A.J. Brown, who caught the football for the first down, only for the officials to get involved right on cue.
In what could be considered a good yet soft call but also highly controversial, the referees called offensive pass interference on Brown, negating his conversion and forcing the Eagles to punt. It immediately garnered a lot of response from the fans in attendance and online, emphasizing the point that most fans outside of Kansas City have made about the defending champions getting all the calls.
You know it's a bad call when even Tom Brady calls it out on the broadcast.
The Eagles already know they're taking on the Chiefs and the referees in the Super Bowl
The unfortunate reality the Eagles are dealing with (again) on Super Bowl Sunday appears to be that it's them against the world rather than just against their real opponent, the Chiefs. That doesn't mean that's how it will be all game just because this was a bad call, but it's not a great start for the league after the officials put out a scathing statement just last week about the ongoing narrative surrounding their jobs.
Hopefully, it won't continue to be a problem as the game continues, and this will be a fair showing for both teams. But the problem is that it's hard to honestly believe that when the Chiefs are involved in the game.
We don't need a rerun of what happened the last time these teams met in the Super Bowl just a few years ago, nor do we need to see more of what happened during the Eagles' first drive.
Let's see if the NFL can ensure that won't happen.