The NFL had Tuesday night football on December 21.
It was an odd scenario attributed to COVID-19.
The two games were played at the same time, 7:00 p.m. ET.
They were West Coast and East Coast games.
The Seattle Seahawks played the Los Angeles Rams.
The Washington Football Team played the Philadelphia Eagles.
Here are the top three takeaways from the Tuesday NFL games.
3. The Referees Played A Role In Seattle Vs. Los Angeles
Even though football moved to a different day of the week, no one should be surprised that the ineptness of referees was once again a talking point.
This has been a recurring theme all season.
In this case, the biggest blown call was a blatant defensive pass interference penalty that inexplicably was not called on the Rams.
Wow , refs don’t call pass interference, had his back to the ball and swiped at the hands before the ball reached DeeJay Dallas#SEAvsLAR pic.twitter.com/NIUf7qEQrz
— Ted Buddy 🏀🏈 (@TedBuddy8) December 22, 2021
Lesser contact has elicited the penalty flag in other games.
Former player, coach, and Hall of Famer Tony Dungy took to Twitter to comment on the “horrendous” officiating.
I’m sorry but the deep officiating in the Seattle Rams game has been horrendous. Big game changing calls on holding and pass interference that have not even been close to being right. Hard to imagine officials being that far off.
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) December 22, 2021
Gonna say it again. And I am not a Seahawks fan. In fact, I hate the Seahawks. But that’s too blown calls that affected the outcome of this game in favor of the Rams. This is the worst referee group in the NFL. The NFL needs to start fining refs for these blown calls. #SEAvsLAR
— Kyle Pierce (@KylePierceAZ) December 22, 2021
Holding the referees accountable for bad calls is something that was mentioned more than once on social media.
After all, players, coaches, and general managers are held accountable for their performances.
Why can’t that same standard apply to referees?
No one can really say how much these bad calls change the trajectory of games.
Maybe the Rams still would have won anyway.
That does not change the fact that players and fans have a right to see consistent, correct, and fair officiating.
2. Both Games Had Odd Starts
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had not played for 23 days so perhaps his rustiness explained the odd start against Washington.
He had an interception and fumble which gave the WFT 10 points before he settled in to a good game.
One thing about Jalen, he never gets to high, or low with his emotions. He just goes out and puts it all out on the field. #WFTvsPHI
— MR SOONER ⭕🙌🧬 (@MRSOONER75) December 22, 2021
The Rams and Seahawks were deadlocked at 3-3 at halftime.
Given the electric Rams offense, everyone was surprised by this.
Yes, there were players missing due to COVID-19, but the Matthew Stafford, Sony Michel, and Cooper Kupp show gained momentum in the second half.
With this touchdown catch, @CooperKupp passes @IsaacBruce80 for the most receptions in a season in @RamsNFL history!
📺: #SEAvsLAR on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/WJO5l7c9Hq— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2021
That Rams defense is not too shabby either.
.@AaronDonald97 shuts down the screen 💪 #RamsHouse
📺: #SEAvsLAR— 7pm ET on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/doGYzOX2Ci— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2021
1. The Best Team Won Each Game
Despite the disrupted schedule, the best teams won last night.
Washington was decimated with COVID-19 so third-string quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who was only on the roster for four days prior to the start, gave it everything he had.
The Eagles were too good.
#FlyEaglesFly QB Jalen Hurts SNEAKS IT in for ANOTHER rush TD! 🏈 ✅ #WFTvsPHI pic.twitter.com/7A976BcBLs
— betstamp Marketplace (@betstampmarket) December 22, 2021
A similar plot line is true for the Rams and Seahawks game.
The Rams were dealing with a COVID-19 issue but found a way to win against a Seattle team that has clearly been out of sorts all year long.
This reinforces the fact that good teams figure out a way to win even when the situation is not ideal.
Stafford remains calm in the pocket and drops a DIME. #RamsHouse
📺: #SEAvsLAR on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/TFhSDZg8B1— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2021
Conclusion
Tuesday football is such a rarity that we do not know the ramifications of it.
All four teams have extremely short weeks to prepare for their upcoming games.
Hopefully, there is time for rest, recovery, and practice so that everyone has a fighting chance to win in Week 16.
The Rams travel to Minnesota for a 1:00 p.m. ET Sunday kickoff.
The Eagles are at home again facing the Giants at 1:00 p.m.
Seattle hosts the Bears at 4:05 p.m., and the biggest challenge goes to WFT who travels to Dallas for a Sunday night football challenge.
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