The first half of Friday’s New England Patriots-Philadelphia Eagles preseason game was played amid a monsoon of yellow flags.
The teams were penalized a combined 10 times (not counting those what were declined) during the game’s first 30 minutes, with several fouls stemming from the NFL’s new effort to limit defenders’ leeway to hassle receivers downfield. Patriots safety Patrick Chung, however, found a way to deliver a big hit without drawing laundry.
With the Eagles driving after a blocked Patriots punt, Chung lit up Philadelphia tight end Brent Celek with a shoulder to the chest, sending Celek’s helmet flying.
Celek held on to the ball for a 22-yard gain, though, bringing the Eagles down to the Patriots’ 9-yard line. His fellow tight end, Zach Ertz, beat Chung one-on-one three plays later for the Eagles’ second score of the night.
Helmet sticker to SB Nation
