Officials picked up a flag as the Philadelphia Eagles scored a second touchdown to take the lead over the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs on Sunday, and Dean Blandino explained why
19:04 ET, 11 Jan 2026Updated 09:03 ET, 12 Jan 2026
Dallas Goedert scored two touchdowns in the first half to give the Eagles the lead over the 49ers in the Wild Card playoff game(Image: Getty Images)
FOX Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino outlined why officials picked up the flag on the Dallas Goedert touchdown that gave the Philadelphia Eagles the lead in the playoffs.
On Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles — the reigning Super Bowl champions — will begin the postseason road to Super Bowl LX. The 49ers were on the road after the Eagles won the NFC East, with George Kittle excited to lock horns before suffering a heartbreaking injury as Tom Brady knew immediately what it meant.
The Wild Card round showdown between the two NFC powerhouses got off to an exciting start. The 49ers scored on their opening drive, with Brock Purdy connecting with DeMarcus Robinson. But the Eagles hit back before a number of former players, scoring two touchdowns through Dallas Goedert to take an early lead, but not without some controversy, as Michael Strahan struggled to hide his confusion at Nick Sirianni’s behavior on the Eagles’ sideline.
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The first touchdown was a rushing score, with Goedert becoming the first tight end in NFL playoff history to rush for a touchdown. Jake Elliott hit the upright on the extra point try, keeping the 49ers in front 7-6 with 6:16 to play in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, on 4th-and-two from the 9-yard line, the Eagles again turned to Goedert. Jalen Hurts rolled right and threw to the tight end, who strolled into the end zone to give the Eagles the lead.
However, the score appeared to be negated by laundry on the turf after officials threw a flag. Philadelphia seemed to be penalized for an ineligible receiver downfield, only for officials to come together and discuss the call before picking up the flag.
Goedert’s touchdown — his second of the game and his 13th of the season in total — gave the Eagles a 13-7 lead. As fans watching may have been confused about why the play was allowed to stand, Blandino outlined why picking up the flag was a “great” call by the officials.
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Dean Blandino explained to Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady why Dallas Goedert’s second touchdown stood(Image: X @NFLonFOX)
“So your offensive lineman, if there’s a forward pass, you can’t be more than a yard downfield when a pass is thrown,” Blandino explained to Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt. “[Cam] Jurgens was downfield, but the exception: if you’re blocking within a yard, you can drive that defender five, six, 10 yards downfield.
“Great flag pickup. Touchdown for the Eagles.”
Blandino’s explanation came before Burkhardt and Brady needed to comment on another blow for the 49ers, which came in the form of Kittle’s injury. The duo watched replays that appeared to show the non-contact Achilles rupture, and expressed their concern for the two-time First-team All-Pro.
“Man, this is really tough to watch,” Burkhardt said. “One of the great players, and one of the greatest guys, frankly, in the National Football League.”
Brady replied: “Hope he’s OK. That’s a huge loss for the 9ers.”
Meanwhile, George Kittle received a horrific injury update, with an alarming conspiracy theory emerging.