The officials found themselves the center of attention multiple times during the NFC championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders. Penalties—both called and uncalled—drove debate online throughout the game.
Here's another one.
Late in the second quarter as the Commanders were driving down the field, Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter jumped across the line. A penalty was called on Carter for encroachment, but he appeared to get away with poking Commanders' center Tyler Biadasz in the eyes. Even if Biadasz was exaggerating the contact, Carter clearly stuck his hand in Biadasz's helmet, which is generally not allowed.
Many people noticed.
“encroachment, 5-yard penalty”
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 26, 2025
(ignore the eye gouge) pic.twitter.com/Ipp2IRF3Fy
Jalen Carter sticking his hands in helmets and Eagles only getting 5 yard penalties. Come on man #Commanders #Eagles pic.twitter.com/BPGrpPWr9O
— Alex Monaco (@Alex__Monaco) January 26, 2025
Jalen Carter sticking his hands in helmets and Eagles only getting 5 yard penalties. Come on man #Commanders #Eagles pic.twitter.com/BPGrpPWr9O
— Alex Monaco (@Alex__Monaco) January 26, 2025
Jalen Carter pokes Tyler Biadasz in the eye on purpose pic.twitter.com/yYDQfyhRwC
— Shoes&Sports (@Shoesnsports_) January 26, 2025
Coming not long after the questionable late hit out of bounds call on Jalen Hurts, it seemed unfair that Carter wasn't penalized for poking someone in the eye.
The good news is that this didn't hurt the Commanders, who went down and kicked a field goal with two seconds remaining in the half.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Refs Ignored Eagles’ Jalen Carter Poking the Commanders’ Center in the Eye .
