Philadelphia – The Washington Commanders punted four times on five plays as they tried to stop Philadelphia’s vaunted drive – earning them a warning from the referee that he could force the Eagles if the Commanders did it again.
The Eagles had first-and-goal in the fourth quarter as they tried to extend their lead in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
Jonathan Allen of the Commanders was whistled for a layup in the neutral zone. That was the first punishment. After Washington once stopped Jalen Hurts, lineman Frankie Luvou jumped the Eagles’ offensive line on second down and was penalized for passing. Second and goal again. Luvu went over the line and was tagged again. Repeat second and goal. This time, Allen was flagged for trespassing.
At this point, referee Sean Hochuli had seen enough.
“Washington has been advised that the referees may issue a result if this type of behavior occurs again,” he told the crowd.
After the game, Hochuli explained to a reporter at the pool what would prompt him to award the TD.
“Simply put, a team cannot commit multiple fouls in an attempt to prevent a score. So No. 4 (Luvu) jumped the ball a couple of times, that’s when the warning came in,” he said. “Again, if it’s intended to prevent a result, we can essentially award the result.”
The Commanders punted on the next play and wound up rewarding the Eagles with a 1-yard touchdown for a 41-23 lead.
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