NFL Officials missed an absurd amount of holding calls on Jalen Carter against the Ravens and he STILL dominated

I’m usually not the “complain about the officials” guy, but today after witnessing Jalen Carter and what happened during the Eagles-Ravens game on Sunday, I’ve been left with no choice.

Even though the Eagles just pulled off their best win of the season in beating the Ravens 24-19 on the road, I simply can’t get over how bad the officials performed in Baltimore.

Jalen Carter is enjoying a breakout sophomore season with the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s in the conversation to win Defensive Player of the Year alongside his teammate, Zack Baun.

Zack Baun Masterclass: Eagles’ linebacker continues dominant season, makes NFL history after latest performance vs Ravens

Carter has lived up to the hype surrounding him ahead of the NFL draft hype and then some. Don’t take my word for it. Just listen to what C.J. Gardner-Johnson said about his teammate: “He’s the best f—ing defensive linemen in the league.”

In my best Jon Gruden impression, Jalen Freakin’ Carter, ladies and gentlemen. The second year standout went absolutely nuclear against the Ravens and made it painfully clear that he’s not here to mess around.

Eight pressures, a sack, two QB hits, and three tackles for loss—this dude was living in the Ravens’ backfield rent-free all game.

JALEN CARTER IN A BLINK OF AN EYE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/C1y17CQ1Oj

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 1, 2024

Could you imagine the damage that Carter could have done against Lamar Jackson and the Raven’s “high-powered” offense if he wasn’t literally held 9+ times during the game? As Kanye West famously once said, “I guess we’ll never know.”

We do know, however, that Carter had Ravens fans literally threatening to kill him because of the terror he caused to Lamar Jackson and the rest of the Ravens’ offense.

Jalen Carter receives death threats from Ravens fans after Eagles 24-19 win in Baltimore

That should tell you everything you need to know but in case you wanted more proof, Shane Haff has you covered with 9+ holding calls from the game.

NFL officials miss 9+ holding calls against Jalen Carter

Here are 9 plays from the 2nd and 3rd quarters (the only quarters I can get the back view from) where Jalen Carter was held… I mean blocked by the Ravens with no flag pic.twitter.com/ppmfV1zskv

— Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) December 2, 2024

I mentioned DPOY earlier, so here’s the thing. The issue with these awards is, the voters love to pick the guys who obviously light the stat sheet up and either generate a ton of sacks or interceptions.

While Carter has certainly been a force rushing the passer this year, what’s not getting talked about enough is his overall impact on the game and how much better he makes his teammates around him.

Let’s put this into perspective: Jalen Carter is a 6-foot-3 wrecking ball who got double-teamed on 25 of his 43 pass rush snaps against the Ravens. That’s over half the time this guy had two dudes hanging off him like their lives depended on it.

Vic Fangio on Jalen Carter getting held constantly:

Vic Fangio was asked if there’s anything the Eagles can do about Jalen Carter get held constantly:

“Got any ideas?”

Fangio says there was one play in particular where Carter was “grossly held” but add he’s not sure what they can do about it.

pic.twitter.com/AEnVHHL8T8 https://t.co/bLha1EV0LQ

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) December 3, 2024

Eagles cement themselves as Super Bowl contenders following gritty 24-19 road win against the Baltimore Ravens >>

Entering Sunday’s contest against the Eagles, Baltimore was averaging 427 yards and 30 points per game. The Birds’ defense held them to 302 yards, 12 points, and just 4.7 yards per play until that garbage-time drive saved them in the box score.

To put it as simply as possible, this was a defensive masterpiece for the Eagles, especially given the absences of leaders like Brandon Graham, Darius Slay, and Reed Blankenship, who left with a concussion in the third quarter.

The Eagles’ defense kept Lamar Jackson under control, stifled Derrick Henry, and made big stops when it mattered most.

And speaking of Derrick Henry—he’s been on an MVP-level tear all season, but the Eagles shut him down when it counted. He finished with 82 yards on 19 carries but had no explosive runs and failed to find the end zone for just the third time this season.

That started with Jalen Carter in the trenches.

And the result was opening the floodgates for the rest of the Eagles’ defense. Zack Baun racked up 13 tackles and even chipped in half a sack. Nolan Smith notched eight tackles and a sack of his own. Even rookie Jalyx Hunt got in on the action with two tackles and 0.5 sack.

So yeah, while there might not be an answer for NFL Officials not making the correct calls, we can sleep tonight knowing that even if they want to tackle Jalen Carter on the football field, the rest of the Eagles’ defense will continue to eat regardless.

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