Philadelphia Eagles fans will not be pleased with one of the NFL’s decisions regarding their Divisional Round clash with the Los Angeles Rams this weekend.
The Eagles found out who their next opponents would be late Monday night. While many expected the Minnesota Vikings to emerge as the team to face them, the Rams played out to a statement win and will look to extend their season when they meet the NFC East champions on Sunday.
As it happens, referee Shawn Smith will head the officiating crew for this fixture.
The Eagles have lost every game they’ve played under Smith’s watch since 2023. He was the official who bizarrely ejected cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson against the Washington Commanders in December.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Philadelphia Eagles Fans Aren’t Loving This
Smith is in his 10th season in the NFL and his seventh as a referee. The postseason assignment will be his ninth. He has officiated five Wild Card games, two Divisional Round Games, and two Conference Championship games and is quite experienced, but Philly fans don’t like this one bit.
“The fix is in to get LA to the Super Bowl,” one posted as a comment on social media.
The fix is in to get LA to the Super Bowl
— RayBrat (@raybrat54) January 15, 2025
“This is actually a big deal. This guy was absolutely awful in the Eagles-Washington game to the point where the announcers were calling him out. There’s no way this guy should be doing a playoff game,” another added.
This is actually a big deal. This guy was absolutely awful in the Eagles-Washington game to the point where the announcers were calling him out. There’s no way this guy should be doing a playoff game
— The WIP Enthusiast (@AverageWIPFan) January 15, 2025
Smith will likely be under heavy scrutiny on Sunday, and every call he makes against the Eagles will be magnified. He would do well to avoid any late, controversial penalties that affect the outcome of the game, especially if it’s against Philadelphia.
There’s already a conspiracy theory suggesting that the NFL is trying to push the Rams to fashion a good storyline amid the L.A. wildfires, so there will be rife chatter if they do manage another postseason win.
