The NFL is emphasizing some obscure penalties in 2024, notably tossing a steady stream of flags at offensive tackles for illegal formation infractions.
A different officiating point of emphasis burned the Philadelphia Eagles multiple times in Monday night’s 22-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons: Ineligible man downfield.
The Eagles were flagged for this annoying, 5-yard infraction three times on Monday. Center Cam Jurgens, whose role often calls for him to block on the second level of the defense, was flagged twice for the penalty, both negating positive gains. Right tackle Lane Johnson was also caught on a first-and-goal pass play in the second quarter, moving the Eagles back from the 4 to the 9 yard line.
“Some of them are on us as coaches,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “Some of them are on a player going too fast. We coach that, not to go too fast, but some of them are on us in the certain scenarios of when we call them.”
Ineligible man downfield penalty explained
In a nutshell, this penalty tends to be a tempo issue between the quarterback and his offensive line. Per NFL rules, only eligible receivers can cross the line of scrimmage before a forward pass crosses the line. Offensive linemen — or any player numbered between 50 and 79 on offense — are considered ineligible receivers on a given play, with one exception: An extra offensive tackle enters the game, reports to the referee as eligible, and lines up as a tight end. These heavy formations have led to some fun fat-guy touchdowns and trick plays over the years.
Complicating this rule further, though, is that offensive linemen are free to roam downfield on rushing plays, or any pass play that materializes behind the line of scrimmage. Your typical screen pass in the backfield tends to get the running back in space with a convoy of blockers in front of him.
Why the Eagles struggled with this penalty vs. Falcons
Offensive linemen are in a tough spot on plays like bubble screens, as Siranni pointed out post-game. Since these plays tend to materialize a short distance beyond the line of scrimmage, the timing has to be perfect for a lineman to first sell a pass block, and then get up field to block for his receiver.
Jurgens was caught in that timing gray area on a pair of short completions from Hurts to receiver Britain Covey on Monday night. One of the flags resulted in a 19-yard swing in field position, negating a 14-yard Covey catch and run.
Through two games, the Eagles have 16 accepted penalties against them. The refs flagged Johnson for an illegal formation penalty in Week 1 that nearly proved costly as Philly marched for a game-sealing field goal drive against the Green Bay Packers.
There is plenty to clean up entering Week 3 of the NFL season, even for arguably the league’s best offensive line.
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