The Eagles and 49ers were neck and neck out of the gate in Sunday's 2023 NFC Championship Game, but San Francisco benefitted from an unusual punting mishap that may have occurred in the first quarter of action. Up 7-0 late in the first, Philadelphia got just a 34-yard kick from Brett Kern, but dozens of players and staff on their sideline subsequently pointed upward, suggesting the punt deflected off the wire of Fox's overhead camera.
Kern and kicker Jake Elliott were most vocal about the apparent mishap, which would've necessitated a redo of the kick. But officials ruled after a brief review that they could not confirm whether or not the ball actually hit the camera wire, thus awarding San Francisco with prime field position. Due to an illegal use of hands penalty on the Eagles' Zech McPhearson, which also would've been negated with a re-kick, the 49ers began their next series at midfield.
Two drives later, the 49ers tied the game at 7-7 on a Christian McCaffrey touchdown. The potential punting interference was the second controversial incident to occur in the game, with Fox also showing a delayed replay of a one-handed fourth-down catch by the Eagles' DeVonta Smith, which helped propel Philly's first scoring drive. The 49ers did not challenge the play despite replay showing clear movement by the ball as Smith hit the ground. In that case, however, San Francisco and the officiating crew should've had more immediate access to replay footage, indicating 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was simply too slow to challenge.
