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The Washington Commanders went into Philadelphia and stunned the Eagles on Monday Night Football in a game with a wild ending. 30 or so minutes after the officials missed a blatant face-mask penalty, they flagged Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham for a roughing penalty that effectively decided the game.
Taylor Heinicke snapped the ball on 3rd and 7, and after scrambling around went down to his knee to keep the clock running. It would have marked the end of the series, the Eagles would have called timeout, and Washington would have punted with a 1:38 or so left. However, Graham couldn’t quite hold himself and he ran into Heinicke right in front of a referee. The flag was thrown and the game was all but over at that point.
— highlight heaven (@lowlightheaven) November 15, 2022
But how much of Heinicke going down was Graham hitting him and Heinicke flopping? We’ll likely never know for sure, but it’s at least a little bit suspicious.
I'm not positive, but I think this is the most well-executed flop I've ever seen. You don't really notice it unless you're looking for it, but it's there and it's perfect. https://t.co/NDiqF3tCxx
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) November 15, 2022
In the end, it really doesn’t matter. The refs will call that penalty every single time. Quarterbacks are protected by league rules and I don’t think anybody is realistically surprised by the call. Eagles fans will be irate, but if the shoe was on the other foot, they’d be all for the call.
The Eagles remain in first place in the NFC East, but this loss is going to be a bitter pill to swallow.