When the referees handed the Super Bowl to the Rams last season with a phantom holding call, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth was silent.
On Sunday, when the referees handed the Super Bowl to the Chiefs with a brutal holding call, Fox Sports analyst Greg Olsen laid into them.
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That’s why Olsen is the best NFL analyst going today. He’s on top of the action, and unafraid to share his unvarnished opinion.
Tom Brady is probably wise to stay from the booth until 2024, because Olsen’s tremendous Super Bowl performance would be one tough act to follow.
Olsen impressed NFL viewers all postseason with his intricate knowledge of the game, and ability to quickly decipher in-game situations. That was apparent early in the first quarter Sunday, when he described how Sky Moore’s pre-snap movement cleared defenders out of the way for a 24-yard Isiah Pacheco run.
Olsen also explained the Eagles’ offensive strategy. When they run on third down, it means they’re in four-down territory. He was smooth and in command all night long.
When the officials said Eagles running back Miles Sanders fumbled the ball early in the third quarter — allowing for a Chiefs defensive touchdown — Olsen quickly recognized the call was probably going to be overturned via replay. Later, he identified the Eagles were likely going to challenge an incomplete pass to Dallas Goedert down the right sideline, which was also overturned.
But most impressively, when Olsen needed to criticize the officials, he didn’t hold back. As soon as the replay showed that Eagles cornerback James Bradberry barely grabbed JuJu Smith-Schuster’s jersey on a crucial 3rd-and-8 inside the red zone, Olsen expressed his disagreement with the Super Bowl-deciding call.
“They’re gonna say he grabs him. He’s got his left hand on his back. I don’t know, Mike [Pereira], listen l, I think on this stage, you’ve gotta let them play,” he said. “Obviously, [Patrick] Mahomes thought he saw it. I think they let them play. Finish this thing out. I don’t love that call, Mike.”
After another replay, Olsen doubled down.
“That is a game-altering penalty,” he said. “To me, it looks like [Bradberry] is in good position. It changes the entire complexion of how this fantastic game is going to end.”
It did indeed. Instead of allowing the Eagles and Jalen Hurts to work with another possession, the Chiefs were able to run the clock down, and kick the game-winning field goal with seconds to spare.
But in order to do that, they needed to stay out of the end zone. Olsen was screaming at Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon to get down on the ground on the first play following the penalty.
The referees failed in the biggest spot, but Olsen certainly delivered. He's the best analyst going today, and performed on the biggest stage.