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Jayden Daniels Had Very Relatable Reaction to Hearing Referee Could 'Award a Score'

The Commanders QB was just as confused as all of us at home.
We were just as confused, Jayden.
We were just as confused, Jayden. | Screenshot via @NFL on X.

After Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu tried to stop the Philadelphia Eagles' fourth-quarter "tush push" attempt several times by jumping over the line of scrimmage—and vehemently going offsides—referee Shawn Hochuli uttered a sentence that left NFL fans at home confused.

"Washington has been advised that at some point the referee can award a score if this type of behavior happens again."

The phrase had Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels—and many others in Philadelphia that day—confused as well. Here's a video captured by NFL Films of several players' reactions to the call:

"Award a score?" Daniels asked backup QB Marcus Mariota. "You can give them a touchdown?!"

They sure can. According to the NFL's official rulebook, a touchdown can be scored when "the referee awards a touchdown to a team that has been denied one by a palpably unfair act."

"The defense shall not commit successive or repeated fouls to prevent a score," the rules also state—and if they do, "the score involved is awarded to the offensive team."

You learn something new every day.

Philadelphia ultimately scored on the following play—without help from the officials—and exited with a 55-23 win over Washington. The victory secured them a spot in Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs coming up on Sunday, Feb. 9.


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Published | Modified
 Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.