NFL analyst wonders if Eagles got by with penalty on decisive touchdown vs Commanders - Commanders Wire
The Washington Commanders fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in their 2026 season opener on Sunday, but it wasn’t all bad. There are definite concerns, but most of the mistakes were fixable. That is a good thing because it means the coaches can work with the players to fix them.
The Commanders really started to show signs of life around the middle of the third quarter, as if suddenly, everything clicked. And while coming from behind is not an ideal way to win a game, what if they should have won because of a missed call? NFL analyst Brian Baldinger breaks down the Eagles’ touchdown that won the game.
“Play of the game,” Baldinger starts. “Third-and-six in the fourth quarter. 17-16 game, Eagles up. Right here, Goedert is gonna move. He’s gonna move laterally, which I thought you can do. But the ball is snapped. All three Commanders (Leo) Chenal, (Sonny) Styles, and (Odafe) Oweh all point. But the play rolls on, no flag, no whistle. Hurts plays through the whistle, Goedert right here, a little pivot, beats the Commanders through the end zone for a 43-yard, game-breaking touchdown. I don’t know how to rule it. I don’t. You’d have to talk to the officials about that. Were the Commanders right, or were the Eagles right by just keep playing on?”
To be fair, from the time you are a child learning to play sports, you are taught to play until the whistle blows. But when a play like this seems to show a clear penalty on one team and the other team reacts, that missed call can completely change the game’s trajectory. Without that touchdown, the Commanders may have won.
When players believe there’s a call to be made and one of the NFL’s best analysts can’t decide whether it’s a flag, we have a problem. That means the league’s communication to everyone else (probably including the officials) on this rule hasn’t been clear. When messaging isn’t clear, it’s up to the person to decide what it means. In this case, the officials ruled it legal, but what if they didn’t?
It is worth noting that NFL rules expect Dean Blandino of Fox Sports said it was a legal play. But like most NFL rules, the real problem is that many are debating it.
