NEW ORLEANS — The officials were a big storyline headed into the Super Bowl thanks in part to social media conspiracy theories about favoritism toward the Kansas City Chiefs.
They were a big part of the first quarter of the game with both teams ending up on the wrong side of a close call.
The first questionable call came on the opening drive of the game when the Philadelphia Eagles appeared to convert a fourth-and-2 from midfield with a 32-yard pass from Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown.
But the official immediately threw a flag because Brown shoved cornerback Trent McDuffie’s facemask. While there was some contact, Fox officiating analyst Mike Pereira said it shouldn’t have led to a flag.
Those kinds of close calls that have tended to go in Kansas City’s favor in recent playoff games have fueled the conspiracy theorists and have been a major topic all week. called the allegations “ridiculous” during a news conference Monday and the union called it “insulting.”
On Philadelphia’s next possession, the close call went the Eagles’ way. Hurts threw an incomplete pass to Dallas Goedert on third-and-5 from the Kansas City 42. But the officials once again threw a flag because McDuffie made contact with Goedert’s facemask and Pereira didn’t like that call either.
Three plays later, Hurts scored on a 1-yard run for the first score of the game.
AP @ the Super Bowl
The Eagles got help from another key third-down penalty on their next possession with Charles Omenihu getting called for lining up in the neutral zone, negating a third-down sack that would have forced a punt.
Philadelphia became the first team since at least the 2000 season to convert two third or fourth downs by penalty in the first quarter of a Super Bowl.
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