Another game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs came down to the end, and the Bills, fighting for their playoff lives, came out on top Sunday by a final score of 20-17.
Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid blast refs after loss to Bills, Kadarius Toney penalty
After an offsides call wiped out a would-be TD, the Chiefs QB and HC sounded off
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
But in the immediate aftermath of that game, all anyone is talking about — especially in Kansas City — is an offsides call that wiped out what would have been the go-ahead touchdown for the Chiefs, and might have been the Play of the Year.
As discussed here, with the Chiefs trailing by three and just over a minute remaining, Patrick Mahomes dropped to throw, and found tight end Travis Kelce deep over the middle. The tight end pulled in the throw and turned upfield, but then recalled his quarterback days, throwing a perfect spiral to Toney, who raced into the end zone for what looked like the go-ahead score:
However, a flag was down.
Because Toney lined up offsides.
That took the TD off the board, and left the Chiefs looking for another big play. But as CBS Sports broadcaster Jim Nantz noted, the wind had certainly been taken out of their sails. And when the Chiefs failed on a fourth-down conversion try, Mahomes was beyond heated on the sidelines:
That ire carried over to the locker room, and was mirrored by his coach.
Reid called it “embarrassing” for the NFL:
For both the coach and the quarterback, their fault lies with the process, and not the underlying call itself. Both Reid and Mahomes acknowledge that Toney was aligned offsides, but both point out that typically, a warning is given before such a flag is thrown.
Which is what Mahomes points out here, while sending some love Josh Allen’s way:
Officiating has certainly been a story throughout this season, and given how this game ended, you can be sure it will remain a topic of conversation all week long.
If not longer.
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