NFL Just Blessed Eagles With Ref Assignment for Playoff Game vs. Packers

The Philadelphia Eagles host the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the playoffs after finishing the NFC as the second seed. The Packers ended the regular season on a bad note, losing two in a row to fall to 11-6 and the bottom seed in the NFC.

Yet, it's important to note that the Packers are a very talented and deep football team that played in the toughest division in the NFL. Despite being 3.5-point favorites per FanDuel Sportsbook, the Eagles will need all the help that they can get against the Packers. Fortunately, they received good news from the NFL on Monday that will be an advantage for them.

Eagles-Packers Referee Assignment is Good News for Philly

The referee crew for the Sunday showdown will be led by Brad Allen. Not only did home teams win 62.5% of the games Allen has officiated this season, but he has also called more penalties on visitors (103) than the home team.

Eagles fans may remember Allen from their Week 7 matchup against the Dolphins last season. The unbalanced officiating favored Philadelphia on that occasion with a few blatant missed calls. The Eagles finished the game with no penalties while Miami was called for ten for 70 yards.

Allen sparked more outrage earlier this season in a game where the Chargers hosted the Bengals. At the end of the first half, the experienced referee made three erroneous calls that infuriated the Bengals coaching staff and the fans. They eventually lost the game 34-27.

Despite being a head referee for 11 seasons, Allen is one of the most regularly criticized officials in the NFL. Considering how his most egregious missed calls have favored the home team historically, this could be a major under-the-radar advantage for the Eagles.

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