The Green Bay Packers got the ball to start their wild card playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles. It didn’t take them long to make a critical, game-changing error.
Packers kick returner Keisean Nixon tried to bring the Jake Elliott kickoff back on the first play of the game. Nixon was lit up on the play by Eagles linebacker Oren Burks, which caused him to lose control of the ball as he went to the ball.
It was clear that Nixon had fumbled on the play. What wasn’t as clear was which team recovered the fumble. The officials ruled the Eagles had pounced on it, but replay review painted a different picture.
Video of the play appeared to show Nixon was able to wrangle the ball before Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. got possession of it. This could be seen both from the ground angle of the shot and an overhead angle shown on the Fox broadcast, which led rules analyst Mike Pereira to believe the call may be overturned.
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Despite this, Brad Allen’s crew decided to let the call stand. Naturally, the officials’ decision drew scrutiny from NFL fans and media analysts alike, with some thinking the call should have been overturned and others thinking Allen’s crew was right to let the call stand.
Below are some of the most notable reactions to the play:
Right or wrong, the call gave the Eagles possession on Green Bay’s 28-yard line to open the game. Philadelphia capitalized on this, as Jalen Hurts found Jahan Dotson for an 11-yard touchdown to give the No. 2 seed Eagles an early 7-0 lead.