Eagles' Brandon Graham takes responsibility for late penalty vs. Commanders
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham didn't blame the referees for what occurred late in Monday's loss to the Washington Commanders.
"We can't put the game in the refs' hands," Graham explained while speaking with reporters after the loss, per Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "In that position, I just have to know if he goes down, it's OK. For me, I was just hustling to the play trying to make sure he was down and just trying to get off the field."
Washington held a 26-21 lead over Philadelphia with 1:45 remaining in regulation when Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke dropped back for a pass in a third-down situation. Heinicke ultimately gave himself up and went to the ground, but Graham did not stop himself before he made contact with the downed signal-caller.
Graham received a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty that allowed the Commanders to run additional seconds off the clock, and Washington went on to earn a 32-21 win.
"I was just trying to touch him down, because it just looked like he was going to get up," Graham continued during his comments. "You just never know. But that's on me. I own that one. That's on me."
Referee Alex Kemp defended the ruling following the game.
"That was my call. I had ruled the quarterback had clearly given himself up," Kemp noted. "Therefore, he is down and a defenseless player. The contact by Philadelphia No. 55 was not only late but also to the head and neck area."
Meanwhile, Patra added that "Graham's hit certainly came after Heinicke kneeled himself down."
Earlier in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were victims of a non-call after tight end Dallas Goedert fumbled the ball away as he was clearly pulled to the ground by his facemask. A flag in that situation could've changed the outcome of the contest.
"The three turnovers lost us the game," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni insisted after the defeat. "We lost it together: offense, defense, special teams, we lost it together. That's what lost us the game.
The 8-1 Eagles will look to begin a new winning streak when they play at the 4-5-1 Indianapolis Colts this coming Sunday.
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