Tag: Penalty

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes says late penalty vs. Bills took away from Travis Kelce’s greatness

Kansas City #Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes says the late game penalty against the #Bills took away from Travis Kelce’s greatness.

The conclusion of the Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Buffalo Bills will be discussed for years after another controversial penalty helped determine the outcome of the game. A memorable play featuring Travis Kelce and Kadarius Toney was wiped away with a shocking offensive offsides call that made quarterback Patrick Mahomes irate.

Mahomes didn’t hold back his frustration on the field and during his postgame press conference. He wanted everyone, including the league itself, to know that the play not only cost the Chiefs a comeback opportunity but erased an unforgettable moment from the record books.

“It is obviously tough to swallow,” Mahomes explained. “I mean, not only for me but just for football in general, I mean, to just take away greatness like that. I mean, for a guy like Travis (Kelce) to make a play like that. And who knows if we win. As fans, you want to see the guys in the field decide the game.”

Kelce finished Sunday’s loss with six catches for 83 yards, but many will leave this game with the potential of how things would be if his lateral did indeed count for the Chiefs to win.

“That’s why last week, I didn’t say anything about the flag that didn’t get called on him, Marquez (Valdes-Scantling),” Mahomes continued. “I mean, they’re human; they make mistakes. Every week, we’re talking about something, and all I can do is go out there and give everything I have. And I’m proud of the guys. That’s what we did. And it was a great football game that ended like that. It’s tough to swallow.”

The Chiefs’ loss hurt their chances at the top overall seed in the AFC with four games remaining, as they are now forced to focus on their dwindling lead in the AFC West. The Denver Broncos have quickly moved to within a game of Kansas City in the division as the teams split their season series.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes lambasts officials after controversial penalty vs. Bills

#Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was none too pleased with the controversial penalty in Kansas City’s loss to the #Bills

The Kansas City Chiefs were handed a crushing defeat for the second consecutive week, falling in the final minutes to the Buffalo Bills with more controversy regarding the officiating. A shocking offside penalty on wide receiver Kadarius Toney erased an incredible lateral play from Travis Kelce that would have given the team a go-ahead touchdown at Arrowhead Stadium.

Patrick Mahomes was visibly emotional and upset with the officials as the game ended. He didn’t mince words about the controversial penalty during the postgame press conference.

“It’s the call, and just in that moment, I mean, it’s not even for me; I know how much everybody puts into this game,” Mahomes said. “For it to happen, for a flag to change the outcome of the game. And that moment, I mean, I’ve played seven years and never had had offensive offsides called. [You learn] that [in] elementary school. We talked about pointing to the ref, all that different type of stuff, and … they warn you.

“There was no warning throughout the entire game. And then you wait; there’s a minute left in the game to make a call like that. It’s tough, man. I’m at a loss for words because regardless of whether we win or lose, just at the end of the day, another game, and we’re talking about the refs, Not what we really want in the NFL for football.”

 

The penalty not only cost the Chiefs a touchdown, it knocked them further back from field goal range. Mahomes’ next three passes fell incomplete to end the comeback attempt.

“I mean, that’s the thing is, I [would] rather they let us play, man, like let us play the game,” Mahomes continued. “Then, whatever happens happens, like throwing the flag and deciding the game one or another. That’s what hurts you. That’s why I’d like last week.

“I didn’t say anything because it’s letting us play, man, let us go out there and win the game, I’d rather they let us play and go out there and see who wins. That’s what you want as competitors. You practice all week and go out there and try to win, and you want it to be about your team and that team and see what happens. You never want to be talking about the stuff after the game.”

Twitter reacts to Chiefs’ brutal loss to Bills in Week 14

Users on Twitter had some feelings about the #Chiefs’ brutal loss to the #Bills in Week 14.

The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Buffalo Bills in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday after a late touchdown was nullified by a rarely-called offensive offside penalty on wide receiver Kadarius Toney.

While the controversial call by the referees was a huge part of Chiefs Kingdom’s angst after the game, Kansas City’s performance against Buffalo was frustrating to watch in its entirety. Without Isiah Pacheco in the backfield, the Chiefs offense looked listless, and an early interception thrown by Patrick Mahomes gave the Bills momentum as early as the first quarter.

Fans posted about Kansas City’s disconcerting showing on social media after the game and made their feelings about the loss clear. Some used humor to cope with the Chiefs’ defeat, while others were a bit more direct with their anger about Kansas City’s latest collapse.

Check out some of Twitter’s best reactions to the brutal Week 14 game against Buffalo below:

Twitter reacts to insane Chiefs touchdown reversed by controversial penalty on Kadarius Toney

Twitter was buzzing after this penalty by #Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney reversed an insane touchdown orchestrated by Travis Kelce.

The Kansas City Chiefs nearly pulled off one of the most insane comebacks of the 2023 season before a penalty reversed a touchdown by wide receiver Kadarius Toney.

The improbable play occurred late in the fourth quarter when quarterback Patrick Mahomes hit tight end Travis Kelce deep downfield on a crucial drive with less than two minutes remaining in the game. Kelce darted upfield and lateraled the ball to Toney, who was completely uncovered near the left boundary.

The wide receiver caught the pitch and scampered into the end zone, but an offensive offside infraction by Toney at the line of scrimmage caused the score to be reversed.

Kansas City was unable to recover from the five-yard penalty and eventually turned the ball over on downs to seal the victory for Buffalo.

Fans around the NFL took to Twitter to express their displeasure with the referee’s decision to enforce the rarely-called penalty in such a consequential situation.

Check out some of their top reactions to the controversial call below:

Referee Alan Eck assigned to his second Saints game this season

Referee Alan Eck assigned to his second Saints game this season

The New Orleans Saints will play their second game with referee Alan Eck on the field this season in Sunday’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers; they last saw him in Week 6, during their loss to the Houston Texans. Eck was promoted to referee this summer after previously working as an NFL umpire and side judge for seven years.

Eck’s crew averages fewer penalties per game (11.4) than most squads around the league, but he nearly met that total back in Week 6. New Orleans was fouled 7 times for 83 yards against just 3 penalties for 29 yards on the Texans.

Why such an imbalance? Pass interference penalties on Paulson Adebo and Marshon Lattimore cost the Saints 45 yards, and the offensive line combined for another 25 penalty yards (Erik McCoy and Trevor Penning were fouled for holding, Max Garcia had a false start). Derek Carr was flagged for intentional grounding, too.

Hopefully the Saints can cut down on those penalties; they’ve drawn exactly 6 fouls for 50 penalty yards in each of their last two games coming out of the Week 13 bye. Negative yardage and lost opportunities have held them back all season and time is running out to make up for those mistakes.

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes supports Isiah Pacheco’s fiery energy after ejection vs. Packers

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes supported Isiah Pacheco after his ejection against the #Packers in Week 13

The Kansas City Chiefs’ loss Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers featured plenty of drama and suspense in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The bizarre scene involving running back Isiah Pacheco receiving a crucial penalty for punching a Green Bay player affected the team’s comeback attempt.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes witnessed firsthand the altercation while trying to protect against a potential fumble recovery from Green Bay. After the replay review overturned the Rashee Rice fumble, referees tacked a 15-yard penalty after Pacheco’s punch. During his postgame press conference, Mahomes stood by his starting running back and his passionate responses in games.

“I love the fire from Pop (Isiah Pacheco), man, that gets us going as an offense,” Mahomes said. “Obviously (he) got a flag in this situation. But I mean, we were already in a bad situation. So I never want to take the passion away from the guy. He’ll learn from it. I’m sure he won’t make that mistake again. But that’s the stuff that we need on this team in order to have the success that we want to have.”

Pacheco was ejected from the game’s final minute because of the personal foul penalty, but the infraction didn’t hurt the team’s morale. The second-year running back secured his third career 100-plus-yard rushing game and a touchdown on Sunday night.

Cowboys won’t be fined for celebration that cost Michael Thomas $30,000

The Cowboys reportedly won’t be fined for a celebration that cost Michael Thomas $30,000:

Here’s a double standard from the league office. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissesro reports that the Dallas Cowboys will not be fined for their celebratory antics in their Thanksgiving Day win over the Washington Commanders — with players having stashed turkey legs inside Salvation Army kettles near the end zones to enjoy after scoring a big touchdown.

That’s the good news. This celebration didn’t hurt or upset anyone; if anything, it led to an outpouring of fan engagement on social media. Using props in celebrations like this may be against the rules, but it’s not harmful, and it’s good that the players were not punished for it.

Now the bad news. It’s a double standard by the NFL to not penalize anyone with fines after the league office took $30,000 from Michael Thomas. The New Orleans Saints wide receiver paid tribute to Joe Horn’s iconic cell phone celebration in a 2018 win against the Los Angeles Rams, having hidden flip phones under each goalpost to poste with in the event of a score. His game-winning touchdown catch met the criteria, and it was a widely-lauded moment.

But the NFL didn’t think so. And it’s not right for commissioner Roger Goodell and his decision-makers in New York to punish some players and let others get off scot-free. Unless they’re giving the green light for props in celebrations by not issuing any fines to Cowboys players, the league office should be consistent with this policy. It’s great that no one in Dallas lost money because of it. It’s a shame that Thomas did, and that other players likely will in the future. Either have the policy and enforce it fairly, or don’t bother with it all.

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NFL assigns referee Clay Martin to Week 13’s Saints-Lions game

The NFL has assigned referee Clay Martin and his crew to officiate Week 13’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions:

The NFL has assigned referee Clay Martin and his crew to officiate Week 13’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions; Martin has been on hand for just three Saints games since being promoted to referee in 2018, but New Orleans is 2-1 with him on the field. Detroit is 2-3.

And Martin’s crew averages the second-fewest penalty flags per game among the NFL’s 17 officiating staffs (10.7), with an emphasis on offensive holding fouls (30) and false starts (20). That’s the good news. The bad news is that Martin’s staff have penalized home teams much more often (63 times) than visitors (44) this season, so the Saints won’t have any benefits of hosting this game.

Dennis Allen’s Saints team is not as disciplined as Dan Campbell’s Lions squad. Detroit has been fouled 62 times in 11 games, for a total loss of 578 yards; New Orleans has drawn 70 penalty markers for a combined 642 yards in 11 games as well. Take that down to per-game averages and the Saints are being fouled 6.4 times for 58.4 yards each week. The Lions are being penalized 5.7 times for 52.5 yards. The Saints must mind their hands and play clean football on Sunday to avoid those penalties and stay out of their own way.

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Sean Payton shrugs off roughing the passer penalty on Baron Browning

Sean Payton when asked about Baron Browning’s penalty: “Those guys worked hard, the officiating crew. They’re tasked with a difficult job.”

Late in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos outside linebacker Baron Browning hit quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson just as the ball was released on an incomplete pass that would have resulted in 4th-and-12 if not for a late flag.

Officials deemed the hit roughing the passer and penalized Browning, resulting in a first down for the Browns. It was a brutal hit that knocked DTR out of the game with a head injury, but many fans viewed it as a legal play.

After the game, Broncos coach Sean Payton downplayed the controversial call by sidestepping a question about it.

“Those guys worked hard — the officiating crew,” Payton said after an eventual 29-12 win. “They’re tasked with a difficult job. Some of those calls are difficult to make. They have a challenge — they happen so quickly. They had good dialogue.

“[I’ve] worked with a bunch of those guys over the years. I felt like it was good communication. That’s kind of where it was at. It kind of goes back and forth — you get some, sometimes you don’t. They did a good job of communicating everything.”

Payton’s diplomatic answer might not have been so diplomatic if the Browns came back to win. Browning didn’t have much to say about the penalty after the game.

“I didn’t think it was a dirty hit, but they called it,” Browning said. “So what can I do about it?”

Fortunately, Denver’s defense recovered a fumble two plays after the penalty.

“I think it just shows our demeanor and attitude,” Browning said. “We can’t control everything, but what we can control is our response. We responded and got a turnover.”

Twitter/X had mixed reactions to the penalty on Sunday.

NFL assigns referee Adrian Hill to Week 10 Saints-Vikings game

The NFL has assigned referee Adrian Hill to Week 10 Saints-Vikings game. New Orleans is 2-1 with him at referee, while the Vikings are 2-3:

Don’t expect many penalty flags to fly on Sunday. The NFL has assigned referee Adrian Hill to Week 10’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings — and Hill’s crew averages just 10.5 penalty markers per game, fourth-fewest among the 17 officiating crews.

If you’re curious, the Saints are 2-1 in games with Hill at referee, who was promoted to the post back in 2019 after nine years as a field judge, side judge, and line judge. The Vikings are 2-3. This will be the first game in 2023 either team has played with Hill on the field; the Saints haven’t seen him since their Dec. 27, 2021 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

But that doesn’t mean this will be a penalty-free game. Hill’s crew has fouled visiting teams 50 times compared to just 34 infractions on home squads. They have thrown more penalty flags for false starts (15) than anything else, so the Saints need to be mindful of that when they have the football. They were fouled just once last week for a season-low 5 yards, which was a false start penalty on tight end Juwan Johnson.

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