Refs Blow Fumble Call On Saquon Barkley, No One Knows Why It Wasn’t Overturned

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has been in the spotlight a lot during Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Despite scoring two touchdowns, his biggest moment on center stage in this game came when he hurdled a defender after recording a catch on a simple check down route. That in itself would be super cool, but how sick would it be if he did it backward? 

Well, now we know, because somehow the dude had the ability (and the nerve) to pull off a backward hurdle that’s going to be on highlight reels for the next 40 years.

Come on bro, that’s certifiably insane.

But in the third quarter, he became the center of attention for a more controversial reason.

On a fairly innocent inside run, Barkley got tripped by linebacker Ventrell Miller, and the running back fell forward to get a few yards on a broken play. He lost the ball after hitting the ground, but that’s okay, since he was down by contact.

But that’s not what the refs saw! They saw a clear fumble, and then Travon Walker taking it to the house. But that’s fine, because they can review those things and reverse the call, right?

Well, the review didn’t do enough to change the referees mind – for absolutely no reason whatsoever. The play stood, Jacksonville converted the ensuing two-point try, and got the score to a 22-16 margin.

Again, look at this angle of the play, and note the subtle (yet clear) swipe on Barkley’s left leg.

Now look, it didn’t affect the outcome of the game, the Eagles would end up winning 28-23 thanks to a last-gasp pick by Nakobe Dean in the end zone. But CBS rules expert Gene Steratore was thoroughly confused that the officiating crew came to this conclusion.

Thankfully, this play would not radically affect the game (though it probably affected some people’s fantasy football matchups, which we all know are way more important). But this doesn’t help the public perception of referees, not one bit.