MINNEAPOLIS -- A lot of Patriots fans aren't happy with about the way Super Bowl LII ended and it has nothing to do with the fact that their team lost. For once, it was Patriots' fans who were complaining about the officiating following New England's 41-33 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday.
Hundreds of irate fans took to Twitter after the Eagles' win and they all wanted to know the same thing: Why didn't Philly get flagged for pass interference on the final play of the game?
The drama started with nine seconds left to play in the game. With the Patriots sitting at their own 49-yard line, Tom Brady knew he had to get the ball to the end zone, so he launched one of the most dramatic Hail Marys in Super Bowl history.
The Philadelphia #Eagles are Super Bowl Champions.#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/KyzzEiEgHz
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 5, 2018
After the pass fell incomplete, the Eagles went into immediate celebration mode, but Patriots fans thought there should have been a flag on the play because wide receiver Chris Hogan got roughed up by an Eagles defender.
Eagles D allowed to clean Hogan out of the Hail Mary like that? I thought that’s illegal contact downfield pic.twitter.com/CrxQQmDqpj
— Carl Setterlund (@CarlSetterlund) February 5, 2018
Here was the reaction from New England after officials didn't throw a flag on the play.
Can you explain to me why Chris Hogan got recked on the Hail Mary and there was no pass interference
— DFSAXEEEEE (@DFSAXEEEEE) February 5, 2018
Did anyone else see that blatant pass interference on Chris Hogan tho???
— Jaylen Smith (@JaylenSmith_12) February 5, 2018
Obvious pass interference on Hail Mary.
— Tim Terry🎤 (@tim_radio) February 5, 2018
No pass interference call for Hogan getting destroyed on the 10? Ok. Never say the Pats get all the calls again.
— Tom (@SlaughterThomas) February 5, 2018
Even fans who don't cheer for the Patriots thought it was a pretty blatant inference.
Not a pats fan in the slightest. But they got robbed. Ertz TD was incomplete, missed defensive pass interference on the last play. Chris Hogan got decked 20 yards from the line me of scrimmage before the ball was thrown. Robbed
— Charlie Z (@zimmerch226) February 5, 2018
I’m not a Pats fan, but didn’t Chris Hogan get destroyed like 20-30 yards downfield on that final play? How was that not Pass Interference?
— David Ridenhour (@David38103) February 5, 2018
Although officials will almost never throw a flag on a Hail Mary play, that usually applies to the scrum in the end zone. However, with Hogan's hit, there almost certainly should've been a flag because it happened so far away from the play.
Now, if the officials had thrown a flag, that doesn't necessarily mean the Patriots would have won. If there was a penalty, it likely would have been pass interference if the ball was in the air, but if the ball wasn't in the air, then it would have been illegal contact.
If the call was PI, then the Patriots would have gotten the ball at Philly's 38-yard line. At that point, they would have been allowed to run one more offensive play in an untimed situation.
If illegal contact had been called, then the Patriots would've gotten to run one more play from Philly's 46-yard line. Either way, the Patriots probably should've been given one more play.
After a season where the Patriots seemed to benefit from every controversial call, the officiating definitely didn't go their way on the biggest play of the NFL season.
