Some NFL fans think they've got a moment written into the NFL playoffs.
During the Philadelphia Eagles' win over the Green Bay Packers, a star player intentionally missed a scoring opportunity.
2
2
With less than a minute left in the game, Saquon Barkley made a big run to secure the first down and win for the Eagles.
However, Barkley had plenty of green grass in front of him and likely would have gone for 75 yards.
Fans were angry at Barkley's decision to slide to the ground rather than score and claimed the moment was scripted.
“No more text than this,” X user @ThaJungleKiDD posted.
“That was your Saquon Barkley touchdown, but the NFL made sure Saquon Barkley couldn't score a TD tonight.
“Here go people.”
Other fans agreed after being disappointed by Barkley not scoring a touchdown on the night.
“I just watched that and almost cried,” one fan said.
“If you don't think the game is rigged, you're not paying attention,” another fan said.
“Let me mention one more time when one of the running backs took a dive. You can't. It's fake,” a third fan said.
While some fans were upset by this, many viewers understood Barkley's true intentions.
At Saquon's run, the Eagles led the Packers 22-10 with less than a minute left on the clock. The Packers only had one timeout left.
If Barkley continues to run and scores, the Packers will get the ball back and the Eagles' defense will have to go out for another touchdown.
By sliding down after the first down, Barkley allowed quarterback Jalen Hurts to take a knee and end the game.
Barkley's selfless act saved his team from having to keep fighting until the last second of the match.
NFL division round schedule
Saturday, January 18, 4:30 PM ET (ESPN/ABC) – Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Saturday, January 18, 8 PM ET (FOX) – Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions
Sunday, January 19, 3pm ET (NBC) – TBC at Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, January 19, 6:30 PM ET (CBS) – Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
If Barkley had scored the touchdown and one of his defensive teammates had been injured in the final seconds of the game, the team would have been in for disaster.
Most fans realized that Barkley did the right thing, and shared that in the comments on @ThaJungleKiDD's post.
One fan said: “I don't see a conspiracy in that play, I see a man playing a game to win.”
Another fan said: “Barkley knew that if he knelt the game was over, not everyone is conspiring to make sure your bet doesn't win.”
A third fan said: “It was a smart play not to give the ball back and run out the clock.”
