Getty NFL official John Hussey (middle), who will referee Sunday's Cowboys vs. Eagles game
We don’t often go in for NFL referee conspiracy theories in these parts, but there is already some consternation coming from many corners of Dallas Cowboys Nation over a bit of Cowboys news that came in this week. That news: the lead referee for the critical Sunday Night Football game against the Eagles is John Hussey, who is notable for a number of reasons, but one in particular in this case: Turns out, the Eagles are 7-0 when Hussey’s crew is on the case.
That is according to the Twitter/X account NFL Ref Stats, which posted some numbers about the Hussey crew this week:
“HOME division teams like Cowboys are 33-14-2 ATS (70%) w’ John Hussey since 2016 , best home record for any ref in that span- BUT the Eagles are a perfect 7-0 SU & ATS with Hussey officiating.”
#PHIvsDAL Week 14 @SNFonNBC HOME division teams like #Cowboys are 33-14-2 ATS (70%) w’ John Hussey since 2016 , best home record for any ref in that span- BUT the @Eagles are a perfect 7-0 SU & ATS with Hussey officiating #FlyEaglesFly #DallasCowboys #NFLTwitter #Eagles
Of course, 70% over a large sample size like 49 games probably is more meaningful than the seven games Hussey has had involving the Eagles, which is still a pretty small sample size.
But did that stop the angst of foreseeing a spate of referee issues in Week 14? Of course not.
John Hussey Crew Called Just 6 Penalties vs. Eagles in Last 2 Games
One of the stats that seemed to be bad Cowboys news in particular is the fact that, in the last two games that John Hussey has overseen involving the Eagles, there were 21 penalties called on opponents and six called on Philadelphia.
refs impacting game outcomes:
John Hussey is the ref for the Eagles/Cowboys game
Philly is an undefeated 7-0 with Hussey
the last 2 games with Hussey:
6 penalties on Philly
21 penalties on opponents
MORE REF ANALYSIS via @nflrefstats1:
That set the stage for some pretty blunt evaluations, ranging from the subtle, “a questionable call or two,” to the more alarmist and age-old, “The fix is in!” Oh, and why not a reference to Scott Foster, the controversial NBA referee?
Word is bet the Eagles and bet them big straight up on the Moneyline +155. John Hussey has been bought by the Eagles like usual. Eagles are 7-0 when he refs in their games.
FIX IS IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BET IT BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wrote one Twitter/X user: “Word is bet the Eagles and bet them big straight up on the Moneyline +155. John Hussey has been bought by the Eagles like usual. Eagles are 7-0 when he refs in their games. FIX IS IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BET IT BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
John Hussey is calling the SNF game between the #DallasCowboys and #eagles. With Hussey as head official, the Eagles are 7-0 dating back to last year and have a remarkable 4:1 advantage in the flag department. Expect to see a questionable call or two on Sunday night.
And another: “John Hussey is calling the SNF game between the #DallasCowboys and #eagles. With Hussey as head official, the Eagles are 7-0 dating back to last year and have a remarkable 4:1 advantage in the flag department. Expect to see a questionable call or two on Sunday night.”
Ah yes naturally the @NFL assigns John Hussey to the Cowboys-Eagles game for the must win game. The eagles are 7-0 when Hussey calls their games…Nearly a 4:1 penalty ratio. Deploying the eagles best player yet again.
And: “Ah yes naturally the @NFL assigns John Hussey to the Cowboys-Eagles game for the must win game. The eagles are 7-0 when Hussey calls their games…Nearly a 4:1 penalty ratio. Deploying the eagles best player yet again.”
(Actually, of course, 21:6 is more like a 3:1 penalty ratio, but who’s counting?)
Is John Hussey the Scott Foster of the NFL?
Hussey when officiating the Eagles last 2 games:
🦅6 penalties on Philly
🦅21 penalties on opponents
🦅Philly is 7-0 with Hussey as ref
Eagles vs Cowboys on Sunday.
h/t @SharpFootball
Bad Cowboys News? Well, Not Really
The problem with this line of thinking is that the broad-strokes stats that seem to present evidence that John Hussey is pro-Eagles, and thus spells bad Cowboys news on Sunday, are just that: broad.
It should not be all that surprising to find that the Eagles have a perfect record in a relatively small number of games run by a specific referee. Philadelphia, after all, has been a consistently good team since 2016 (75-50). Also, when you get into the specifics of the games John Hussey has called for the Eagles—certainly the two most recent—the 21-6 differential does not look as bad.
In the NFC championship, the Eagles sent off Brock Purdy with an injury early in the game, and faced journeyman Josh Johnson in his place. They played conservative, mistake-free football because they knew that is all they had to do to win. Thus, not many penalties.
And when it comes to the Monday Night Eagles-Cowboys game, won by Philly, 26-17, remember that the Eagles had a 20-0 lead in the first half against backup quarterback Cooper Rush. Again, they could play conservative football and simply protect the lead.
When it came to the referees in that game, in fact, it was a call against the Eagles that drew the most fan outrage. That was because Hussey’s crew threw a flag on a blatant block in the back by Tony Pollard on a long CeeDee Lamb run. But the flag was picked up and Lamb’s 16-yard gain stuck.
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Bad Cowboys News? Fans Rip NFL Over 7-0 Philly Referee: ‘Eagles Best Player’