Super Bowl 59 kicked off with a controversial call against A.J. Brown on the game’s first drive. The Philadelphia Eagles’ star wide receiver was penalized for offensive pass interference on a crucial fourth down, and the referees’ decision left some fans steaming.
The narrative about the Kansas City Chiefs benefitting from the refs’ decisions has been prominent throughout the playoffs. The fans were quite upset to see such a decision early in the game and called out the refs on social media.
Fans Were Left Fuming With Refs’ Controversial Call on A.J. Brown
The Eagles lost momentum on their first drive of the game, and the call on Brown could end up becoming significant at the end of the game. The fans knew the importance of the call that went in favor of the Chiefs and didn’t waste any time making their feelings known through their comments on X.
Here are some of the reactions:
Would never be called against Kansas City the other way
— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) February 9, 2025
“That was ridiculous!” said a fan.
Another fan added, “The refs strike again.”
smh man pic.twitter.com/Vsw5sG1h0H
— Nando 🍀 (@nando17celtics) February 9, 2025
“They’re trolling people at this point,” wrote a fan.
“Chiefs magic. The league can deny it, but here is defense exhibit A,” said another fan.
It's already starting. The refs are ready to take over the game. https://t.co/IDslSB47by
— Jerry Gigowski (@GigowskiJerry) February 9, 2025
Trent McDuffie is among the best cornerbacks in the league, and to beat him, the receivers have to make special plays. Brown made a great play, but since he made a noticeable amount of contact with the Chiefs’ star, the refs called it offensive pass interference.
While the majority of fans believed the call on Brown was incorrect, former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel said the refs made the right decision.
“That’s 100% OPI….you can’t shove the defender in his helmet,” said Daniel. “Calling it this early in a huge game is rather questionable though.”
The Eagles benefitted from a controversial decision on their second drive of the game. McDuffie was penalized for a personal foul, but like the first one, it was a controversial decision that could have gone either way. Philadelphia made the most of that call and ended up scoring seven points.
Both teams suffered from dodgy officiating decisions from the refs, and the league is once again under pressure to improve the officiating standard.
Since these types of calls are being called in the biggest game of the season, the media will ask commissioner Roger Goodell about changes to the officiating process.
The previous Super Bowl matchup between the Eagles and the Chiefs was also decided by a controversial holding call on James Bradberry that helped Kansas City chew down the clock. Bradberry admitted that he held JuJu Smith-Schuster, but the fans still believe that he shouldn’t have been penalized, and Philadelphia would have had a shot to win the game or send it to overtime potentially.