The New England Patriots got a tough break when the Philadelphia Eagles ran the “Philly Special,” according to Fox rules analyst and former NFL official Mike Pereira.

The Eagles were in an illegal formation on the play, but that penalty went uncalled as Philly completed their fourth-down attempt with a touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton to quarterback Nick Foles on a trick play.

“I know the league came out and said that it’s a judgment call, which it is,” Pereira said on a podcast by Talk of Fame Network. “The down judge, who was the one that was on his side of the field, they felt that it was his judgment, and was close enough. Well, he wasn’t. They lined up wrong.

“Not only that, it’s a trick play. And if you’re going to run a trick-type play, then you have to be lined up properly. You could either have six men on the line, or you could have an ineligible number lined up at the end of the line, which was the case. I know what the league has said, but they would have been a lot more comfortable if they would have called an illegal formation.

“We always use a yard , maybe a yard and a half. But that’s two , and even a little bit beyond two. It’s kind of one of those that has no effect on the play. I get it. But they didn’t line up properly. And it really should’ve been called.”

The play was much-discussed on Twitter and eventually on TV and sports radio, particularly in Boston.

SB Nation’s Alex Kirshner provided a counterargument for Pereira’s thoughts by showing a GIF of Jeffrey, the receiver apparently lined up illegally, checking very briefly with the line judge before the snap. Without looking at the judge, Jeffrey quickly put up his right hand. That, SB Nation’s Kirshner argued, is enough to absolve the receiver from any wrongdoing in terms of an illegal formation.