NFL teams rarely believe that officiating went in their favor, but the New York Giants were particularly against it in Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants had several calls go against them, but Jalen Hurts' overturned fumble on a “tush push” attempt at the hands of Kayvon Thibodeaux was easily the most controversial.

The Eagles went to their go-to play on a 4th-and-1 play in the red zone. Hurts got the first down, but lost the ball to Thibodeaux when he reached his arms out. The play appeared to be a clear turnover, but the referees blew it dead and called Hurts down.

The call had a massive effect on a game that was tied 7-7 in the second quarter. Thibodeaux understood the official's explanation for the official call, but still believed it was “bulls***.”

“I don't know, that's some bulls***, man,” Thibodeaux said after the game, via SNY TV. “When it comes to that play, the refs, I feel like they got a hard job, 'cause they don't know when to stop it. It's tough on defense, obviously, because you stop the first surge, the ref don't blow the whistle. You get the ball out and take it, now all of a sudden it's forward progress… He said they called forward progress before he reached the ball out. Sounds like bulls*** to me.”

Daboll challenged the call, but the call on the field was upheld. The Eagles scored two plays later to take a 14-7 lead.

The call was nearly unanimously criticized by fans on social media. The referees did not blow the play dead until after Thibodeaux ripped the ball out, which drew the most criticism online.

Giants' controversial calls in Week 8 loss to Eagles

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New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll reacts in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The “tush push” play was not the only call that went against the Giants in the loss. Thibodeaux noted that the team cannot blame officials for a 38-20 defeat, but New York was fighting an uphill battle all afternoon.

The call that upset Brian Daboll most came in the fourth quarter, when the Giants had a touchdown called back for a phantom offensive pass interference penalty. Jaxson Dart hit Darius Slayton down the sideline on 4th-and-13, but the officials called it back due to a “push-off.”

The two missed calls directly resulted in a 14-point swing. The Eagles still won by 18, but it would have been an entirely different game had both calls gone the other way.