The Philadelphia Eagles escaped with a 16–9 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday night, improving to 8–2 despite an offense that sputtered for most of the game.
A late defensive pass-interference flag on Lions corner Rock Ya-Sin — who had played the previous week in front of former president Donald Trump — ended up being the pivotal moment that kept the Eagles alive.
With just 1:51 remaining and Philadelphia facing 3rd-and-8 from its own 37-yard line, A.J. Brown and Ya-Sin became tangled in hand-fighting downfield. Brown ultimately drew the penalty, a decision that immediately sparked outrage across the broadcast. The call came shortly after Tony Romo had shocked viewers with a bizarre on-air remark during another game.
NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth exploded the moment the flag came out.
“That is terrible,” he shouted as the Eagles moved the chains and inched toward sealing the win, according to reporting from the Irish Star.
But referee Alex Kemp, speaking in the postgame pool report, stood firmly behind his crew.
When asked to justify the decision, Kemp said the covering official saw Brown’s arm being grabbed and restricted as he tried to go up for the ball.
“The ball was in the air, and the defender grabbed the arm and limited his ability to make the catch,” Kemp stated.
“That’s defensive pass interference.”
Collinsworth — joined by play-by-play partner Mike Tirico — wasn’t buying it.
“Come on! That is terrible!” Collinsworth ranted on the broadcast.
“That’s an awful call to decide this game. If anything, Brown is the one pushing off!”
Tirico backed him up, noting that the scuffle looked like routine hand-fighting and didn’t appear significant enough to warrant a penalty. He also pointed out that Ya-Sin clearly thought the foul might go against Brown instead.
ESPN’s Benjamin Solak circulated video of the play on social media with the tag AlwaysCommittOPI, hinting that Brown initiated the contact.
Even if the flag hadn’t been thrown, Detroit would still have needed to march the length of the field against a stout Eagles defense to tie the game.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff struggled badly, finishing 14-of-37 for 255 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Jahmyr Gibbs ended up being Detroit’s primary offensive spark, nearly eclipsing 150 total yards between rushing and receiving.
Ya-Sin was forced into a starting role with Terrion Arnold and Carlton Davis both out due to injuries. Detroit relied on a patchwork secondary consisting of Ya-Sin, Amik Robertson, Arthur Maulet, and ex-Eagles slot corner Avonte Maddox.
The loss dropped Detroit to 6–4, knocking them out of the tight NFC playoff picture for now. They currently trail both the Chicago Bears (7–3) and the Green Bay Packers (6–3–1) in the race for the NFC North crown.
