Refs Flag Jason Kelce for Costly False Start, and NFL Fans Were Fuming

ESPN rules analyst John Parry confirmed officials made the correct decision.

A false start penalty against Jason Kelce put the Eagles out of “Tush Push” range in the red zone during the second quarter against the Seahawks on Monday night. Fans weren’t happy with the decision from officials.

Kelce was penalized virtually the moment Philadelphia’s offense got lined up ahead of a third-and-1 play, as officials determined he moved the football prior to the snap.

An overhead replay showed that Kelce’s body was completely still, but the ball was in fact moving in his hand before the team was fully set.

The Eagles settled for a field goal on the drive.

ESPN’s NFL officiating analyst John Parry confirmed on the Monday Night Football broadcast that the referees were correct in their assessment of a false start call.

Still, fans on social media were not pleased with the somewhat confusing false start call and voiced their distaste on social media, with many declaring it a phantom penalty.

They called this a false start on Jason Kelce?pic.twitter.com/PC5AGJxPCrhttps://t.co/RdqgGJmIwd

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 19, 2023

Official didn’t even wait for the Eagles to line up so he could pretend Kelce’s second hand was the guard being offside. 🤷🏼‍♂️

— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) December 19, 2023

Phantom false start call on Jason Kelce potentially costs the Eagles 4 points.

— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) December 19, 2023

Terrible false start call on Kelce. Why aren’t we throwing the ball on 3rd & 6?

— Ike Reese (@Ike58Reese) December 19, 2023

Here in Seattle in press box. Don’t know what the penalty on Jason Kelce was for 🤷🏼‍♂️

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) December 19, 2023

There was no penalty on Kelce, completely phantom. Officials are a joke.

— John Stolnis (@JohnStolnis) December 19, 2023

Kelce literally just was on the field and they said *flag*

— Molly (@mollyrosee4567) December 19, 2023