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Tom Brady Seemed to Flip Flop on Key Penalties in Commanders-Eagles NFC Title Game

Brady went back and forth discussing penalty flags on an Eagles touchdown drive during the NFC championship game.

Blake Silverman

Brady looks on before an NFC wild card game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field.
Brady looks on before an NFC wild card game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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Tom Brady is battling what should and should not be a penalty as he calls the NFC championship game Sunday between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.

The Eagles marched down the field toward the end of the first half and eventually scored on a one-yard "Tush Push" play from quarterback Jalen Hurts. Brady, who was announcing the game for the NFL on Fox broadcast, differed on the officiating for a couple crucial plays during the drive.

First, on a fourth down play which resulted in a 31-yard completion to Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, Brady called out that running back Saquon Barkley got away with a hold as he blocked in the backfield. If a flag was thrown, the big completion wouldn't have stood and the Eagles likely would have decided to punt the ball away.

"I think [Barkley] gets away with a little bit of a hook," Brady said on the Fox broadcast.

Then, two plays later, Hurts threw a pass to the end zone for tight end Dallas Goedert which ended up just a bit too high as Goedert was pulled to the ground by Washington cornerback Marshon Lattimore. There wasn't a flag thrown for pass interference, which Brady agreed with.

"Very good job in man coverage," Brady said after the play. "Yeah, there's a little contact. But when you're a big man, a tight end, they're usually not going to give you those type of calls.

"I do like the ability in the playoffs, I always felt this as a player, let the players play. Let them go out there, be physical, and I'm not saying with something egregious. But I don't love seeing the refs factor into too many games. I want to see the players on the field get the decision in why they advance or not."

Brady has a point, as nobody wants to see any playoff game decided by the officials. But as he called out a missed penalty flag two plays earlier, and not a particularly egregious no-call either, he has to pick one side or another.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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