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Pederson: NFL agrees that Matthews hit was a penalty

Doug Pederson said Wednesday that the NFL agreed with the Eagles that the helmet-to-helmet hit wide receiver Jordan Matthews took from Falcons safety Keanu Neal should have drawn a penalty.

The league doesn't typically announce when officials got a call wrong, but NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino will occasionally tweet out a correction. He has yet to do that in this circumstance.

Matthews took a shot over the middle in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' 24-15 win over Atlanta on Sunday. The crown of Neal's helmet hit Matthews' face mask. The receiver, who was critical of the referees after the game, said that his face mask had bent and he had to get a new one.

Pederson said Monday that the Eagles had sent the play to the NFL for review. Teams routinely send questionable calls to the league office for clarification.

Pederson was visibly upset on the sideline after the collision. Matthews lay on the turf for a moment before rising and leaving the field. He returned to the game.

"We talk about player safety and player safety being the No. 1 importance," Pederson said on Monday. "I'm not going to get into a bunch of it here, but a defenseless receiver trying to make a play ... it happens so fast. Listen, the officials are working extremely hard every week."