When Atlanta Falcons safety Keanu Neal lowered his head and, at full speed, rammed Jordan Matthews early in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' 24-15 victory Sunday, he did three things.
He bent the bars that masked Matthews' face, eliminating any doubt about whether Neal, intentionally or not, had delivered an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit. He bifurcated Matthews' upper lip, which caused Matthews to stand on the Eagles' sideline for several minutes after the play, spitting blood. And he inspired Eagles coach Doug Pederson, every member of the Eagles' organization, every Eagles fan, and most of the media covering the game to ask the same question at the same time: Why didn't the refs call a penalty?