We have officiating controversy off the bat at the Super Bowl.
And, of course, it favors the Kansas City Chiefs.
On the very first possession of the game, the Philadelphia Eagles rolled the dice on fourth-and-2 from midfield. The gamble appeared to pay off with a 32-yard completion from Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown to set up the Eagles in the red zone.
But it didn't stand. Officials flagged Brown for offensive pass interference, negating the first down and forcing the Eagles to punt on fourth-and-12. It was a dicey call, at best.
Here's another angle that shows the hand-fighting between Brown and Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie as the ball was in the air. Brown beat McDuffie off the line of scrimmage and made brushing contact with McDuffie's helmet before the ball arrived.
It looked like standard, minimal contact between two players that doesn't normally draw a flag. But here, on the biggest stage of a season that's been racked with controversy over how the Chiefs have been officiated, a questionable call set the tone for the game.
Tom Brady: 'Don't like it one bit'
Fox analyst Tom Brady didn't like it.
"Don't like that one bit," Brady said. "This is too critical of a game. The hand-fighting is going on down that field."
Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira also disagreed with the call, even after speaking with the NFL officiating headquarters in New York.
"The thought process was there was a push-off to the head, not your typical hand-fighting when it gets to the head. But to me, I still think it's not enough to be a foul."
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, meanwhile was heated. But to no avail. This was not the start to the Super Bowl the NFL was hoping for after fending off questions about officiating benefiting the Chiefs throughout the week.
