Chiefs coach Andy Reid calls penalty on touchdown 'a bit embarrassing' for NFL
Kansas City head coach Andy Reid was not happy that officials did not warn wide receiver Kadarius Toney that he was offsides, as the officials typically do. The Chiefs trailed by three points when tight end Travis Kelce caught a pass at the Bills 30-yard line. Kelce evaded past a couple of Buffalo defenders and got to the 20-yard line.
He spotted Toney and Kelce threw the ball across the field to Toney, who headed into the end zone. The play was called back when officials determined Toney was in the neutral zone. Reid told reporters that he always had been given a warning before a penalty was called.
"Very disappointed it ended the way it did," Reid said. "Normally I get a warning before something like that happens in a big game. A bit embarrassing in the NFL for that to take place.
. . I didn't have a protractor out there, but it's a bit embarrassing.
" Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes told reporters that he asked three officials for an explanation and could not get one. "They're human," Mahomes said of the officials. "They make mistakes, but every week we're talking about something.
" Mahomes said the officials ruined a "legendary moment" that had no impact on the result of the play. "It’s tough to swallow. Not only from me, and football in general, to take away greatness like that, for a guy like Travis to make a play like that, you want to see the guys on the field decide the game.
. . .
It's the call. Just in that moment. Not for myself.
To have a flag change the outcome of the game. I've never had offensive offsides called. If it does, they warn you.
There wasn't a warning the entire game. And then you make a call like that in the final minute? Another game, we're talking about the refs. It's not what we want for the NFL.
It's not what we want for football. " Mahomes said he was more upset with the lack of following the typical protocol than the call itself. "The flag today was tough," Mahomes said.
"Offensive offsides. You point to the ref, you're good or not good. You have a discussion.
That's the ref's job. For him to throw that flag, no explanation or anything. I saw the picture.
He's barely offsides. It didn't affect the play at all. At all.
" In a pool report, referee Carl Cheffers was asked about whether Toney had been warned but noted it didn't matter. "If it's egregious enough, it would be beyond a warning," he said. "So really regardless of whether or not he was warned at other times during the day, if it was an egregious alignment to where he was over the ball -- whether he had warnings or not -- it would still be a foul.
" Here was CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore on the ruling: 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. Kadarius… .