Chiefs get another life after review shows they scored last-second TD

A scrappily played Chiefs-Broncos game on Sunday night came down to the thinnest of margins.

With three minutes remaining and no timeouts, down 24-16, the Chiefs drove on the Broncos to score a touchdown. Alex Smith hit Tyreek Hill for what appeared to be a 3-yard score that was initially ruled short of the goal line. The play went to the review booth.

While Hill’s knee initially appeared down before the ball crossed the goal line, referees ruled that Hill didn’t gain possession of the ball until it was in the end zone. In this instance, it seems it was a good thing that Hill bobbled the ball slightly. If he hadn’t, he might have been called short. Here’s a screen shot of the play:

When referees initially ruled Hill short of the goal line, the Chiefs were forced to scramble to the line of scrimmage in hopes of snapping and spiking the ball to stop the clock. They likely would have run out of the time, and the Broncos would have won, but referees blew their whistles with one second showing on the game clock to announce that the play was under review.

Thanks to the refs’ whistle and review, the Chiefs scored and converted a 2-point conversion. They live to see overtime of what has been a wild game.