Can referees award touchdown in a game? NFL rulebook explained

NFL referees had an eventful Sunday during the NFC championship game.

As the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders battled at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles prepared to execute their famous play, the "Tush Push," a variation of the quarterback sneak that has turned into a highly successful play for them.

The Commanders, who were trying to stop the touchdown, had linebacker Frankie Luvu trying to stop the goal-line push by jumping over the offensive line. However, the Eagles got Luvu twice with their snap count; later, Jonathan Allen also committed a penalty, and the referees announced to the stadium that a new penalty would result in a touchdown being automatically awarded.

Earning points without entering the end zone could have an awkward feeling, but it's stated on the rules as a possibility. If a team commits multiple personal fouls, the referees might award a score depending on the penalty distance.

The Eagles were running the "Tush Push" at the 1-yard line. After the announcement, Philadelphia was finally able to run a play, scoring by using the "Tush Push." The Eagles won 55-23.

When was the last time that referees awarded a score due to multiple penalties?

It happened a long time ago, and it was in college football. In 1954, during the Cotton Bowl game between Rice and Alabama, Crimson Tide fullback Tommy Lewis ran onto the field to stop the Owls' Dicky Moegle from scoring a running touchdown.

Lewis believed that running into the field would result in only a penalty. However, the referees awarded a touchdown due to the unsportsmanlike conduct. Rice dominated the contest and would've won even if the touchdown was not awarded to them, as the game ended 28-6.

Committing multiple penalties on purpose to waste time became popular in 2019, when Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel pulled the move during the season. However, they were doing it to burn extra seconds on the clock; another important difference is that it was far from the end zone, so the referees could not award a score.