Commanders warned referees can 'award a score' after 4 penalties near goal line in loss to Eagles

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Washington Commanders jumped offsides four times in a sequence of five plays while trying to stop Philadelphia's vaunted tush push — earning them a warning from the referee that he could award the Eagles a touchdown if the Commanders did it again.

The Eagles had a first-and-goal in the fourth quarter as they tried to stretch their lead in Sunday's NFC championship game.

The Commanders' Jonathan Allen was whistled for lining up in the neutral zone. That was the first penalty. After Washington stopped Jalen Hurts once, linebacker Frankie Luvu jumped over the Eagles' offensive line on second down and was penalized for encroachment. Second-and-goal again. Luvu leaped over the line and was flagged again. Repeat second-and-goal. This time, Allen was flagged for encroachment.

At that point, referee Shaun Hochuli had seen enough.

“Washington has been advised that referees can award a score if this type of behavior happens again,” he told the crowd.

After the game, Hochuli explained to a pool reporter what would have prompted him to award a TD.

“Simply put, a team can’t commit multiple fouls in an effort to prevent the score. So, No. 4 (Luvu) jumped the ball a couple of times, that was when the warning came in,” he said. “Again, if it’s meant to prevent a score, we can essentially award the score.”

The Commanders stayed onside on the next play, and Hurts rewarded the Eagles with a 1-yard touchdown for a 41-23 lead.

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