Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins visited the Philadelphia Eagles in a battle of 5–1 teams on Sunday Night Football last night. It was a showdown of two of the top teams in the league and was billed as a potential Super Bowl preview, making it the game of the week in the NFL.
Dolphins Have Ten Penalties, Eagles Have None On Sunday Night
The #Eagles will finish this game with ZERO penalties.
NFL needs to get this cleaned up. pic.twitter.com/WA833ZBX6b
— NFL Notifications (@NFLNotify) October 23, 2023
The Dolphins came up short in their bid to prove that their hot start wasn’t an aberration. The Eagles hopped out to an early 17-3 lead, but Miami was able to pull even on their opening drive of the second half. They couldn’t keep it up though, as injuries caught up with them in the 4th quarter, allowing Philadelphia to pull away and come out with a 31-17 victory
Miami was without 5 starters on offense for much of the game, as well as three defensive starters, but the injuries were only a part of their issues on Sunday Night. There were plays that certain players wish they’d had back, but one of the biggest stories making the rounds on social media after the game was the one-sided officiating.
The Dolphins committed 10 penalties that were accepted during the contest, too high of a number for a team that wants to beat a Super Bowl contender. On the other hand, the Eagles had exactly ZERO accepted penalties on the night, but it looks like that may have been a mistake.
After the game, a compilation video made the rounds on Twitter and Instagram, highlighting all the missed calls that the officials had that benefitted Philadelphia. There was a handful of blatant holding calls that were missed, including three arm-around-the-neck types. There was a missed face mask pass interference call that allowed the Eagles to take over on downs, and Raheem Mostert had his arms pulled down by the defender on Tua Tagovailoa’s 4th quarter interception.
McDaniel Hints At Poor Officiating In Postgame Presser
Mike McDaniel on Tua Tagovailoa’s interception: “[Tua] was hoping that Raheem could step-back and make a play on the ball. He had an issue doing so, with apparently what was legal contact down the field…” #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/qzUFxfdClq
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) October 23, 2023
Head coach Mike McDaniel was irate on the sidelines at multiple junctures. He was calm in his postgame press conference, but took a subtle jab at the officiating when talking about the Mostert interference play:
I was hoping Raheem could step back and make a play on the ball. He had an issue doing so with apparently with what was legal contact down the field
McDaniel would go on to say that the call and that particular play were not the reason why the Dolphins lost, but the implication was there.
There have been questionable calls around the NFL all season, ones that have changed games in the final seconds, including an incident or two just this past weekend. But Sunday Night’s game may have been the most egregious, given the national audience and the disparity in the amount of flags thrown.