Poor Patrick Mahomes. That’s not something you hear too often, but after his Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Buffalo Bills, 20-17, at home on Sunday, Mahomes ripped into NFL officiating after the game.
Why was Mahomes so upset?
The star quarterback had just completed a pass to tight end Travis Kelce, who lateraled the ball back to wide receiver Kadarius Toney. Toney took it into the end zone for an easy score, and suddenly, the Chiefs would have a 23-20 lead with 1:12 remaining.
But, wait, there were flags.
As it turns out, Toney was lined up in the neutral zone, meaning the score did not count, and the Chiefs were penalized five yards. Mahomes’ subsequent three passes fell incomplete, and the Bills sent the Chiefs to their second loss in a row.
Kadarius Toney really took this play away from us…
— Overtime (@overtime) December 11, 2023
Per Jeff Darlington of ESPN, here’s what Mahomes said after the game.
Mahomes: "Let us play the game. Then whatever happens happens. That's why last week, I didn't say anything. Let us play. You want it to be about your team and their team — and see what happens. I want to go play… then see what happens at the end. Then, I can live with the… https://t.co/aLQakAjzNl
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) December 11, 2023
Barely offsides? Come on, Patrick.
Mahomes makes some good points about NFL officiating. It’s horrible. It’s been awful. But the officials didn’t get this one wrong.
Gene Steratore, a former longtime NFL official and now a rules analyst for CBS, said Toney was “blatantly” lined up offside.
Need proof?
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) December 11, 2023
Washington fans certainly have no sympathy for Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Let’s flashback to Week 15 of the 2022 NFL season. The Commanders were hosting the Giants in a game with massive playoff implications. Late in the game, with New York holding a 20-12 lead, Washington running back Brian Robinson Jr. scored from one yard out to make it 20-18 with 1:03 remaining. The Commanders were a two-point conversion away from tying the game.
There was a flag. The officials called wide receiver Terry McLaurin for the same infraction as Toney. But things were a bit different. McLaurin was directly in front of the official on the right side of the field, and you can see him asking the official if he was lined up correctly. The official appeared to give McLaurin the nod.
Here it is:
Terry McLaurin looks at the ref asking if he’s good – ref points back at McLaurin as of to indicate he’s good. McLaurin then gives a thumbs up to ref to acknowledge it. This “penalty” took a Brian Robinson TD off the board. Via @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/B86N6nsJsS
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) December 19, 2022
McLaurin spoke about the interaction after the game, confirming he checked with the official before the play. And, unlike Toney’s infraction, this wasn’t blatant. Former NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino disagreed with the call.
To make matters worse, two plays later, Taylor Heinicke’s pass to Curtis Samuel fell incomplete when Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes clearly interfered on the play. Officials didn’t call it, and the ball was turned over on downs, leading to a New York win.
So, in a matter of a few plays, NFL officiating stuck it to Washington — twice. The league later admitted it’s fault on the non-PI call in the end zone.
No one will ever know if that game actually cost the Commanders a playoff spot. Regardless of whether or not Washington was good enough to make the playoffs, it was irrelevant. The officials actually cost them a real shot at winning a game with playoff implications.
Here’s the non-call against Samuel:
PLEASE explain how this is not a PI call on Curtis Samuel #Commanders pic.twitter.com/6LbCucqvUs
— Terry M (@jamesdepastena) December 19, 2022
No one should feel sorry for Mahomes. The Chiefs are struggling, losing two in a row and three of their last four games, but they’ll be fine. And while he makes some valid points about officiating, the NFL didn’t get this one wrong.
Sorry, Patrick. Washington fans know this feeling all too well.
