Referees Catch Heat from NFL Twitter as Eagles Lose 1st Game of Season vs. Commanders

The Philadelphia Eagles suffered their first loss of the season when they fell to the Washington Commanders 32-21 on Monday Night Football. However, the chatter coming out of the game didn't have much to do with the players on the field.

The Eagles were on the wrong end of some questionable officiating on Monday night. There were key calls that directly affected the momentum of this game.

Early in the fourth quarter, Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert caught a pass from star quarterback Jalen Hurts and proceeded to cough up the ball. However, the referees missed an obvious facemask penalty on Washington before the fumble that would have negated the turnover. Nonetheless, the Commanders kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive for a 26-21 lead.

With the game still in reach, the Eagles were poised to get the ball back with under two minutes left if they got a stop on third down. Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke gave himself up behind the line of scrimmage, and Philadelphia linebacker Brandon Graham made enough contact with him that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty and effectively sealed the victory for the Commanders (5-5).

Fans on social media were not happy with how the officiating played a part in the outcome of Monday's game, and they let their feelings be known (some tweets may contain profanity):

The Eagles still have the best record in the NFL at 8-1, but Monday's loss will not sit right with the team. If a few calls had gone their way, there's a strong chance the Eagles would still be undefeated heading into Week 11.

Instead, Philadelphia will be looking to bounce back when it visits the Indianapolis Colts (4-5-1) next Sunday.