DeVonta Smith credited with highlight catch in NFC Championship Game despite replay showing otherwise

DeVonta Smith had football fans everywhere wowed by his latest highlight catch during the 1st quarter of the NFC Championship Game.

The Philadelphia Eagles decided to go for it on 4th down. Jalen Hurts found Smith to keep the drive alive and avoid turning the ball over on downs to the San Francisco 49ers. Smith extended for what appeared to be an incredible one-handed grab.

JALEN TO DEVONTA OH MY ?

?: #SFvsPHI on FOX
?: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/FKUP5TdmfQ pic.twitter.com/rUoyhJmsbM

— NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2023

Smith’s catch helped the Eagles go on to score and take a 7-0 lead. It turns out, however, that the 49ers should have challenged the call. Replay showed that Smith did not have the ball secured to complete the catch as he went to the ground.

A Fox replay after the commercial break — following an Eagles TD — shows that DeVonta Smith did *not* catch that pass on 4th down.

“The Eagles got away with one,” as Kevin Burkhardt put it. pic.twitter.com/OfXgqCS2k6

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) January 29, 2023

Yes, the 49ers could have challenged the Eagles’ 4th-down conversion, but the NFL’s replay assist rule also allows the replay official to make a quick reversal without a challenge. They have all the camera angles in the booth and don’t need to wait for TV to broadcast it.

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) January 29, 2023

We’ll see if Smith’s credited 29-yard catch looms large in the final outcome. It’s 7-0 Eagles, with the game airing on FOX.

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.