The Philadelphia Eagles appeared to convert the fourth and second of keys on the first drive of the Super Bowl 59 when Jalen hit AJ Brown with a 28-yard completion.
However, a controversial offensive passing interference penalty wiped out the gains and forced the Eagles to punt the ball.
Brown contacted Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffy and was flagged to begin the catch. Brown appeared to catch McDuffy in one hit into the helmet, but there was little contact.
The Fox game’s broadcast was immediately critical of Cole as longtime NFL quarterback Tom Brady pointed out that he minimized contact with McDuffy before he went to the ground.
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Rules analyst Mike Pereira, an NFL official for 15 years, agreed to Brady’s assessment. He didn’t believe the contact had guaranteed a penalty.
“I don’t think it needs to be called,” Pereira said.
The NFL opposed the plot that there was a judicial bias in favour of the chief, spending a significant portion of the weeks leading up to Super Bowl 59. Early calls from Ron Torbert bring them back to the forefront for the rest of the game.
Following the punt, the Eagles were able to stop the chief, so Philadelphia dodged permanent damage from that momentum swing.