If not for an impressive 10-play, 66-yard touchdown drive engineered by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, the Philadelphia Eagles might be playing in the NFC divisional round of the playoffs next weekend.
The Eagles led for most of the second quarter up until the early minutes of the fourth, and after a Jake Elliott 33-yard field goal with 8 minutes left in regulation, it looked like they were in prime position to advance out of the wild-card round.
After the game, there was plenty of finger pointing from fans wanting a scapegoat to unload their frustration on.
While the most common culprit was offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, some were quick to blame the defense and its failure to shutdown the shorthanded 49ers offense. Star defensive tackle Jalen Carter is one of the leaders of the defense, and after the game people were talking about him for more than just his play on the field.
Carter Likely Facing Big NFL Fine
GettyPhiladelphia Eagles DT Jalen Carter
Carter finished Sunday’s game with 5 pressures, 3 hurries, 3 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and a QB hit, according to Pro Football Focus. But it was what he did in early in the fourth quarter that caught the attention of many on social media and potentially the NFL league office.
Carter could be potentially be looking at $17,389 fine for roughing the passer after he clocked 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings in the face on a trick play that resulted in a 49ers touchdown. Carter hit Jennings well after he threw the ball.
Purdy originally took the snap and handed the ball off to wide receiver Skyy Moore. The former Kansas City Chiefs second-round pick took off to his left, where he tossed the ball to Jennings, who was bolting around the corner toward the opposite side of the field.
Jennings paused briefly before firing the ball downfield to a wide-open Christian McCaffrey in the end zone for the go-ahead score. Carter was flagged on the play, resulting in 8 yards being tacked onto the ensuing kickoff.
If Carter is fined, it would mark the third time this season he’d have to cut the NFL a check.
Carter was hit with a $57,222 fine in Week 1 for spitting on Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. He was also slapped with an $11,593 fine for taunting the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3.
Coaching Shake-Up Expected in Philly
Many were up in arms after the Eagles were eliminated from the postseason.
The defending Super Bowl champions have plenty of questions that need answered, including will any big changes be made with the coaching staff?
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Patullo is not only on the hot seat, he’s about to lose his job after all the heat he and the Eagles’ offense took for being too conservative down the stretch and against the 49ers.
“When you speak to people around the league, they expect there to be mass changes there to jump-start the offense,” Schefter stated, via Bleacher Report. “So, you’re looking at a new offensive coordinator next year, that’s the expectation there across the league.”
Under Patullo, the Eagles offense ranked in the bottom of the league in most major statistical categories including total offense (24th, 311.2 yards per game), passing offense (23rd, 194.3 yards per game), rushing offense (18th, 11.69 yards per game), and scoring (19th, 22.3 points per game).
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Jalen Carter Bracing for NFL Punishment for Incident During 49ers-Eagles appeared first on Heavy Sports.