Thanks to NFL Films there really is no denying that the officials made the correct call when they flagged Philadelphia Eagles defensive back James Bradberry for holding Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVII.
Have a look.
In the moment, it was probably one of the most controversial calls in Super Bowl history. It gave the Chiefs an important first down with less than two minutes to play in a tie game. That first down allowed them to run the clock down under 10 seconds to have Harrison Butker to kick a chip shot 27-yard field goal to give the Chiefs a 38-35 win.
Without that penalty, the Chiefs would have still likely kicked a field goal to take the lead, but Philadelphia would have had nearly two minutes for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense to respond with either a game-tying field goal drive of its own or perhaps even a game-winning touchdown drive.
It could have been one of the greatest endings in Super Bowl history, but as the replay angle up above shows, there is no denying that there was a significant jersey pull by Bradberry (as he admitted after the game).
Seeing that angle of it really shows how obvious, if brief, it was.
The only criticism that might still exist is why that was the only holding penalty called during the entire game. Over 60 minutes of football, you can be sure there were similar infractions that were let go (either by defensive backs or offensive lineman), and it was not until the biggest moment of the game that a flag got thrown for it.
There was one very obvious play in the first half that also involved Smith-Schuster that looked like a pretty blatant hold that went uncalled, forcing the Chiefs to punt.
Sometimes inconsistency can be just as frustrating as a missed call.
