Did Eagles get screwed by skycam cable interference on punt?

During the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, there was debate about whether a Philadelphia Eagles punt hit FOX’s skycam cable.

The first quarter of the NFC Championship Game had its fair share of controversy. Notably, a one-handed grab by Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith wasn’t actually a catch. But, the San Francisco 49ers were unable to challenge it since the Eagles rushed to the line of scrimmage and hiked the football before a review could be held. Later on that quarter, the Eagles were affected by a controversial play as well.

Philadelphia attempted to punt the ball back to the 49ers, but it fell way short, gaining just 34 yards on the play. However, punter Brett Kern and other Eagles players on the sidelines pointed to the sky, signaling that the football’s trajectory was affected after hitting the FOX camera cable above the field. To make matters worse, Philadelphia was assessed an illegal use of hands penalty by cornerback Zech McPherson.

The referees determined that they could not confer if the football hit the wire.

Did FOX skycam camera interfere with Eagles punt?

As for the question of if the punt was interfered with by the skycam camera, there’s no answer to that. Simply put, there was no clear footage of the football hitting the cable during the broadcast.

Luckily for the Eagles, the 49ers were unable to capitalize on the subsequent drive. With Josh Johnson in at quarterback to fill in for Brock Purdy after an elbow injury, San Francisco’s offense was unable to get into scoring range, forcing to punt after four plays.

However, the 49ers were able to get on the scoreboard on their next drive, highlighted by an incredible touchdown run by Christian McCaffrey to tie the game at 7-7. It was a Marshawn Lynch-esque run by San Francisco’s big trade deadline acquisition.

Let’s just say that the first half of the NFC Championship Game was eventful.