A new angle of Eagles CB James Bradberry holding Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster in Super Bowl 57 should put all the debate to rest.
Super Bowl 57 was essentially decided by a holding penalty and the NFL world, particularly Eagles fans, did not like that one bit.
Days later, the debate continued over whether the refs screwed Philadelphia and denied sports fans a thrilling ending to an instant classic of a game.
Well now, all the arguing can end thanks to NFL Films.
NFL Films provided the definitive angle of the JuJu Smith-Schuster hold
The ref’s decision to throw the flag makes a whole lot more sense when viewed from that angle. The pulling of the jersey was far more obvious than could be seen from the backside or overhead views.
It was a hold, which is what Bradberry admitted to immediately after the game.
Of course, it being a technically correct call isn’t going to convince everyone that the ending of Super Bowl 57 was acceptable. Smith-Schuster took a load of grief from Philly, including WR A.J. Brown, for even joking about the incident on Valentine’s Day.
Some even pointed out what might be an “illegal hands to the face” penalty that could have been called in the background of the video.
Going down the road of which calls were and weren’t called in the game isn’t a productive task. For every missed call Eagles fans want to point out, there’s going to be a complaint Chiefs fans could counter with.
At the very least, the NFL Films angle definitively proves that Bradberry tugged Smith-Schuster’s jersey. As for the rest of the debate, the result of the game was the result of the game. That’s the only thing that’s certain.