Mike Pereira: 'Eagles Could Have Won' Forward Pass Challenge
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Eagles fans were internet screaming for Doug Pederson to challenge the Russell Wilson lateral on Twitter in real-time.
Pederson never did, saying, "Real time, it looked fine. It looked legit. We didn't get all the necessary looks."
Scale of 1-12, how dope was this? #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/VEDw5MKzP5
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 4, 2017
Mike Pereira, the rules analyst at FOX Sports, says the lateral was indeed a forward pass and the Eagles "could have won" the challenge.
Let me clear up the illegal forward pass last night. It was forward and illegal since it was beyond the line. It was caught so the play remains alive. The fouls is 5 yards from the spot of the foul and loss of down which I think would have forced a punt. (more)
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) December 4, 2017
Forward or backward is judged by where the ball is when it leaves the passers hand to where it first touched the ground or a player. Forget that Wilson tried to throw it backwards. It was tough to judge on the field by the officials but the Eagles could have challenged and won.
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) December 4, 2017
If Pederson did challenge and the Eagles won, it would have forced a Seattle punt. The Eagles would have gotten the ball back with about 10 minutes remaining, trailing 17-10.
The challenge never happened and Seattle marched down the field, scoring their third touchdown of the game, sealing the deal for the 24-10 win.