What’s a catch in the NFL? Super Bowl LVII yielded no clear answers to the NFL’s most unanswerable question.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hit receiver DeVonta Smith for what initially looked like a 35-yard catch late in the first half of Sunday’s game at State Farm Stadium. The ball moved a bit as Smith landed out of bounds, but the Eagles receiver appeared to maintain possession. Plus, he got both feet in bounds.
Nevertheless, after a lengthy review, the play was ruled incomplete. Instead of getting the ball at the Kansas City Chiefs’ 23-yard line, the Eagles were forced to run another play just inside of midfield.
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The play drew a strong reaction from New England Patriots safety Adrian Phillips, among others.
“Daw that was a catch,” Phillips tweeted, along with a few laughing emojis.
Philly wound up settling for a field goal to take a 24-14 lead into halftime. However, had Smith been awarded a catch, it’s entirely possible that Hurts and company would’ve scored another touchdown.
Smith’s controversial non-catch wasn’t the only controversial play from the first half. Many fans felt that Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was interfered with on an incompletion in the second quarter.
