Explaining the penalties for ineligible players in the lower half of the field: Why the Eagles' O-Line was repeatedly penalized against the Falcons

The NFL is putting emphasis on some obscure penalties in 2024, particularly repeatedly throwing flags to offensive tackles for illegal lineup violations.

Another focal point of the referee's decisions came to the aid of the Philadelphia Eagles several times in their 22-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night: Ineligible man in the back field.

The Eagles were penalized three times on Monday for that pesky 5-yard violation. Center Cam Jurgens, whose role often requires him to block at the second level of defense, was penalized twice, undoing positive progress. Right tackle Lane Johnson was also caught on a first-and-goal pass play in the second quarter, which pushed the Eagles back from the 4-yard line to the 9-yard line.

“Some of it goes back to our coaches,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “Some of it goes back to a player playing too fast. We coach him not to play too fast, but some of it goes back to us calling them out in certain situations.”

Explanation of the penalty for ineligible players in the back field

In short, this penalty is usually a speeding issue between the quarterback and his offensive line. According to NFL rules, only eligible receivers are allowed to cross the line of scrimmage before a forward pass crosses the line. Offensive linemen — or any player numbered 50 through 79 on offense — are considered ineligible receivers on a given play, with one exception: An additional offensive tackle enters the play, 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.

This rule is further complicated by the fact that offensive linemen are free to run down the field on rushing plays or any passing play that occurs behind the line of scrimmage. A typical screen pass in the backfield usually puts the running back in open space with a convoy of blockers in front of him.

Why the Eagles had problems with this penalty against the Falcons

As Siranni pointed out after the game, offensive linemen are in a difficult position when it comes to plays like bubble screens. Since these plays usually take place just behind the line of scrimmage, the timing has to be perfect so that a lineman can first sell a pass block and then move forward to block for his receiver.

Jurgens was caught in that temporal gray area on Monday night on two short passes from Hurts to receiver Britain Covey. One of the flags resulted in a 19-yard swing into field position, nullifying a 14-yard catch-and-run by Covey.

The Eagles have received 16 penalties in two games. Referees flagged Johnson for illegal positioning in Week 1, which nearly costly when Philly made a game-winning field goal drive against the Green Bay Packers.

Even for arguably the best offensive line in the league, there is a lot of catching up to do as we enter the third week of the NFL season.

MORE EAGLES NEWS:

The Eagles' “tush push” play worked against the Falcons. Why not use it later?

Eagles Week 2 Snap Counts: Rookie Cooper DeJean remains stuck in Vic Fangio's disgrace

The Eagles' pass rush, including the $51 million free agent, was nonexistent in the loss to the Falcons

What Jahan Dotson contributed to the Eagles in the 57 snaps he played

Eagles WR AJ Brown is expected to be out for a few weeks due to a hamstring injury