The end of the Chiefs’ loss to the Bills was overshadowed by a controversial offside call against wide receiver Kadarius Toney, which wiped out a miraculous touchdown that would’ve seen Kansas City take a late lead.
Toney scored on the play after a sensational lateral from Travis Kelce, but it was called back after officials determined that the wide receiver had lined up offside.
An irate Patrick Mahomes had to be held back by teammates as he shouted at the officials after the game. He later expressed his dismay over the decision from officials, as did Andy Reid, who lamented it as “embarrassing” for the NFL.
CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore attempted to clear the air on the situation after the game, posting a lengthy explanation on X (formerly Twitter) as to why the officials were correct in penalizing Toney.
When officiating the line of scrimmage, general philosophy is not to be overly technical and split hairs over very minor infractions (such as a receiver's hand slightly breaking the LOS). However, when an infraction is so egregious and obvious, a flag has to be thrown.
— Gene Steratore (@GeneSteratore) December 11, 2023
Kadarius…
“When officiating the line of scrimmage, general philosophy is not to be overly technical and split hairs over very minor infractions (such as a receiver’s hand slightly breaking the LOS),” wrote Steratore on X. “However, when an infraction is so egregious and obvious, a flag has to be thrown.”
“Kadarius Toney is blatantly lined up offside and in the neutral zone. You rarely see an offsides penalty on the offense, but that is not because this play in #BUFvsKC isn't a foul. It is because a receiver rarely lines up offsides,” he concluded.
Although it wiped away an incredible highlight-reel touchdown for the Chiefs, Steratore maintained that it was the right call to penalize Toney, due to the wide receiver being “blatantly lined up offside.”
