Five Controversial Decisions By Refs In Chiefs’ Loss To Bills

The Chiefs and Bills produced different iconic matchup connected Sunday pinch Josh Allen getting nan amended of Patrick Mahomes erstwhile again—in nan NFL regular season, that is.

Buffalo walked distant pinch a 28-21 triumph complete their AFC rivals successful a crippled wherever Allen looked for illustration a superior MVP contender while Mahomes visibly struggled and made immoderate undesirable profession history successful nan process. Compared to nan 2 teams' erstwhile marquee matchups, this 1 didn't characteristic too many arguable calls. Nothing for illustration that very questionable spot successful nan AFC title game successful February, anyway.

In total, nan Chiefs had 3 penalties for 25 yards and nan Bills had 4 penalties for 40 yards, and location were conscionable a fistful of calls—and non-calls—that stood retired from nan Bills' large win.

Here are nan 5 astir arguable decisions nan refs made successful nan Chiefs-Bills game:

For each nan talk astir really Mahomes and nan Chiefs person benefitted from calls successful caller history, this infinitesimal from nan 3rd 4th of Sunday's crippled suggests otherwise.

Mahomes was trying to find his receiver connected nan correct sideline but his walk was tipped by Bills linebacker Michael Hoecht astatine nan statement of scrimmage. Failing to spot that tip, nan refs penalized Mahomes for what they believed was intentional grounding, contempt nan Chiefs backmost and coach Andy Reid's fiery objections.

The game's announcers agreed it was a missed telephone from nan refs and lamented that intentional grounding was not a reviewable play according to nan NFL rulebook.

Reid and Mahomes some said astir nan missed telephone aft nan game:

"I was conscionable trying to explicate myself that I was trying to propulsion it person to nan feline down nan field," Mahomes said. "I wasn't going to propulsion it to him. I was going to pain it, but obviously, they didn't spot nan shot get tipped. That's conscionable portion of nan game. You sewage to move connected from it."

And Reid said simply, "I saw a tipped ball. 83 [Noah Gray] was somewhat successful nan vicinity. That's why I tried to telephone that [a challenge]."

The intentional grounding punishment backed nan Chiefs up to a 3rd-and-16 connected their 36-yard line. Mahomes sewage sacked connected nan adjacent play and nan Chiefs ended up punting connected 4th down.

Mahomes gets saved by a holding telephone that caused immoderate awkwardness successful nan CBS booth

Mahomes saw immoderate things spell his measurement erstwhile nan Bills' secondary sewage called for a clasp that CBS announcer Tony Romo didn't look to cognize what to make of.

On a 1st-and-10 astatine Buffalo's 23-yard line, Mahomes sewage sacked astatine nan statement of scrimmage, but nan Chiefs discourtesy would get a break arsenic Bills information Cole Bishop received a protect holding penalty. That wiped distant Mahomes's sack, and led to an awkward infinitesimal from Romo:

"You'll spot correct here, clasp and past different clasp correct there," Romo said connected nan broadcast, pointing retired different imaginable clasp connected Bills cornerback Christian Benford. He past started to springiness his sentiment connected nan telephone earlier making a weird sound and falling silent.

The Chiefs vanished that thrust pinch a touchdown from Rashee Rice to necktie nan game, 7-7 astatine nan commencement of nan 2nd quarter.

Later successful nan 2nd quarter, Bills tight extremity Dawson Knox was disappointment aft he sewage called for a fishy violative holding call.

On a 2nd-and-short inching into Chiefs' territory, Bills moving backmost James Cook ripped a seven-yard tally to get nan first down, but it was called backmost owed to Knox's penalty. Knox appeared to make interaction pinch Chiefs protect extremity Charles Omenihu astir nan statement of scrimmage, though it admittedly didn't look for illustration much.

Even Romo pushed backmost connected nan call: "You'll spot correct here, erstwhile [Knox] gets down successful there... Ooh, I don't needfully deliberation that was a clasp and he doesn't either."

The Bills still managed to people a touchdown connected nan thrust contempt nan setback from Knox's questionable hold.

Chiefs' Mike Caliendo gets distant pinch a blatant holding telephone

Speaking of much holds, nan Chiefs benefitted from a no-call connected what appeared to beryllium a holding punishment connected their correct defender Mike Caliendo during a play. Late successful nan first 4th successful nan Bills' reddish zone, Mahomes handed nan shot disconnected to moving backmost Kareem Hunt, who took advantage of a spread and rushed for a decent gain.

However, a replay video shows Caliendo evidently holding backmost an incoming Bills rusher who had a consecutive way to Hunt and could person stopped his tally early. No emblem was thrown, arsenic nan refs apt didn't spot it.

It's uncommon to spot Mahomes connected nan receiving extremity of a difficult deed and nan defender not get penalized for it, pinch prima quarterbacks for illustration him possibly getting a small much typical curen than astir successful today's time and age. But, successful nan 2nd half of nan Chiefs' loss, Mahomes was moving distant from unit trying to find Rice erstwhile he sewage nan upwind knocked retired of him connected a sadistic but ineligible deed by Bills separator rusher A.J. Epenesa.

Epenesa vanished pinch 2 backmost hits connected nan afternoon, 1 of which was this monolithic rustle connected Mahomes that laid him retired adjacent nan sidelines:

No emblem thrown? You don't spot that each week.

Mahomes was perfectly crushed, but nan refs rightfully deemed it a cleanable hit. The Chiefs backmost conscionable sewage backmost up and didn't fuss complaining, either.

The Bills' fearsome walk unreserved gave Mahomes problem each crippled long, pressuring him connected complete half of his dropbacks; Mahomes went 3-of-16 for 61 yards and 1 interception erstwhile pressured, according to NextGenStats.

With different entertaining Chiefs-Bills matchup successful nan books, it's bully to cognize that immoderate of their high-profile games can, successful fact, play retired reasonably and characteristic only a sprinkle of officiating contention present and there. That said, expect NFL referees to proceed to look dense scrutiny successful Chiefs games, particularly arsenic nan postseason approaches.

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