PHOENIX — Having hope isn't the same as having a plan.
The Eagles defense had a chance to get off of the field late in the fourth quarter and get the ball back in quarterback Jalen Hurts' hands with Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs tied, 35-35, on third-and-8 from the Eagles' 16-yard line. But cornerback James Bradberry tugged on Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster's jersey in man coverage, and the officials nabbed him with a holding penalty, giving the Chiefs a fresh set of downs.
Bradberry said he knew he was guilty of the infraction. He didn't begrudge the referee for calling it, but he had hoped the flag would stay in his pocket.
"I pulled the jersey," Bradberry said. "They called holding. I was hoping they would let it ride."
The holding penalty paved the way to a Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker go-ahead field goal to earn Kansas City its third NFL championship by a 38-35 final score. Bradberry's penalty with 1 minute, 54 seconds remaining in the game marked the first and only defensive holding penalty of the game.
After the game, referee Carl Cheffers explained via pool report that as Smith-Schuster went to the inside and attempted to release to the outside, Bradberry grabbed his jersey with his right hand and restricted Smith-Schuster from his release. There was no debate among the officiating crew about whether or not to throw the flag.
"It was a clear case of a jersey grab that caused restriction," Cheffers said.
Coach Nick Sirianni typically doesn't shy away from arguing with the officials on the sideline if the right situation presents itself. But after the Bradberry holding call, Sirianni kept mum as the Chiefs continued their drive.
Sirianni said that after the game, it's not his job to make that call, explaining that he understands that the officials have to make decisions in a matter of seconds. But he refused to pin the blame of the loss solely on Bradberry.
"I know it always appears to be that it's one call that makes [the game]," Sirianni said. "That's not what it is, right? It's not what it is. There's so many plays that contribute to the end result of the game, and today, they were better than we were."
The Eagles' secondary struggled in the second half, specifically when the Chiefs scored on back-to-back red zone trips on similar plays in the fourth quarter. On third-and-3 from the Eagles' 5-yard line with 12 minutes remaining, Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney confused the Eagles secondary with presnap motion, as defensive backs Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox accidentally doubled tight end Travis Kelce. That left Toney wide open for a 5-yard touchdown reception to put the Chiefs up, 28-27, and give them their first lead of the night.
Two and a half minutes later, the Chiefs ran it back. After the Eagles went three-and-out and Toney ripped a 65-yard punt return to the Eagles' 6-yard line, the Chiefs executed a similar-looking play as the Toney touchdown on second-and-goal. This time, Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore was the one in motion before the snap, befuddling the Eagles secondary once again. Moore was wide-open for a 4-yard touchdown reception as the Chiefs went up, 35-27.
Despite the secondary's breakdowns in that brief span, Sirianni argued that the team needed more in all three phases throughout the night, especially from the special teams unit that gave up Toney's explosive return.
"It's tough to give them a short field," Sirianni said. "And so that's why this is the ultimate team game, that we're all in this together. Offense, defense, special teams. And so I just felt like a couple times, we put the defense in a tough spot in that scenario."
