Jalen Hurts' Getting Flag For Spiking Football During Falcons-Eagles Game Goes Viral

NFL officiating can be quite confusing at times.

There are times when fans can be amazed at the reasoning behind certain calls that officials make during both tame parts of a game and very crucial moments.

It often brings plenty of discussion about the consistency of calls being made, questioning whether the refs appear to be applying different sets of rules for every game when it should be the same across the board.

But there are times when the referees throw out flags, and for the few instances, it involves moments where a player celebrates a first down by, for example, spiking the football.

During the NFL's Week 2 "Monday Night Football" game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Philadelphia Eagles advanced 70 yards in 11 plays to score their first touchdown of the night.

In a rare penalty call, star quarterback Jalen Hurts was flagged after he scrambled for 23 yards on fourth-and-3 and spiked the ball in celebration. The officials penalized him with a five-yard delay of game.

Indeed, this is the correct call. The NFL's rulebook, under Section 6 "Delay of Game," specifies that actions considered as a delay of game include "spiking or throwing the ball in the field of play after a down has ended, except after a score."

The referees did not revoke the first down that Hurts achieved; instead, they penalized the team by moving the ball back five yards, resulting in a first-and-15. In the end, the penalty did not impact the drive negatively, as wide receiver DeVonta Smith secured a seven-yard touchdown a few plays later.

The Eagles currently trail the Falcons 15-10 with the fourth quarter underway.

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