Questionable calls prove consequential
PHILADELPHIA — Too bad the Giants weren’t playing Cam Newton here Thursday night.
Eagles rookie Carson Wentz twice got the roughing call that an outraged Newton has pleaded for all season, and both controversial flags proved pivotal in a 24-19 loss to their NFC East rivals at Lincoln Financial Field.
The setback kept the Giants’ bid for a playoff berth on hold for at least a couple of days and ended their long-shot hopes of a division title and the No. 1 seed, and Big Blue could point to the two iffy calls — and a seemingly glaring no-call — as big reasons.
The no-call came on fourth down with 1:54 left, when rookie Sterling Shepard was seemingly manhandled by Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll directly in front of an official but couldn’t draw a flag.
The two roughing calls on the Giants, though, were much more controversial.
The first roughing flag came late in the second quarter against rookie corner Eli Apple, who tried to pull up at the end of a Wentz first-down scramble to the Philadelphia 45-yard line and was hit with a late flag by referee Clete Blakeman’s crew.
The penalty came despite Wentz appearing to initiate the contact on the play by falling into the chest of Apple.
“I tried to let up, but the ref didn’t see it that way,” Apple said. “I didn’t try to hit him at all. You always want to make the play on defense, but it’s tough with quarterbacks.”
Apple was obviously rattled by the penalty, and the Eagles didn’t waste any time taking advantage. On the very next play, wide receiver Nelson Agholor blew past Apple down the left sideline and corralled a 40-yard TD pass to give Philly a 21-6 lead.
The second roughing call on Wentz wasn’t as easy for the Giants to dispute, but was no less controversial.
After rallying to within 21-16 and forcing a third-and-long late in the third quarter, the Giants thought they had harassed Wentz into an incompletion near midfield when defensive end Olivier Vernon was flagged for driving Wentz into the ground at the end of the play.
Replays showed Wentz still had the ball when Vernon left his feet to make the tackle, but Blakeman signed off on the flag because of the force of the hit at end of the play.
There was indeed no disputing the violence of Vernon’s hit. Wentz was slow to get up and then sent off to go through the concussion protocol while being replaced by Chase Daniel. But Vernon defended his hit by saying he couldn’t see the ball at the time of the hit.
“My arms were around him and my face was at his back, so I don’t what they want me to do in that situation,” said Vernon, who added that he is steeling himself for “a hell of a fine” from the NFL.
Asked what he could have done to change the situation, Vernon turned sarcastic.
“I could have stopped in midair and reversed time,” he said. “That probably would have worked. I should have just stopped time, reversed him a little bit, then hit him at a different angle.”
Despite the new life giving to Philly by the second call, the Giants stuffed the Eagles on fourthand-goal from the 1 at the end of that possession when Ryan Mathews was gang-tackled for a loss.