Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, HC Andy Reid comment on controversial ruling by the officials that went Buffalo’s way
The Bills got away with one.
The Kansas City Chiefs once again took a regular season loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills, falling to them 28-21 on Sunday.
Kansas City’s offense didn’t execute at the level it has over the past month. Five of its 10 possessions ended in zero points. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was under duress from Buffalo’s pass rush for most of the game, and too often he was out of synch with his receivers.
About halfway through the third quarter, the Chiefs were putting together a solid drive that began at their own 11-yard line and got near midfield. Mahomes threw an incompletion while scrambling from pressure, and the ball was clearly tipped by Bills linebacker Michael Hoecht. Despite that, Mahomes was penalized for intentional grounding.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid disagreed with intentional grounding ruling by the officials
Reid attempted to challenge the ruling, but was told the play was unreviewable.
“I saw a tipped ball,” Reid told the media after the game. “83 (No. 83, tight end Noah Gray) was somewhat in the vicinity. That’s why I tried to call that (a challenge).”
Certain plays not being eligible to be reviewed continues to lead to bad calls and frustration among teams and fans. CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore said during the broadcast that the intentional grounding call should have been reviewed and reversed.
“In this play, Hoecht clearly touches the pass,” Steratore said. “You can see Mahomes is throwing to an area where a receiver is breaking. Because the ball was tipped, where it landed changed, that’s why this should be reviewable.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes takes the high road on intentional grounding call
“I was just trying to say that it got my arm, and the ball got hit,” Mahomes explained to the media after the game. “I was trying to throw it closer to the guy down the field, but it’s a judgment call, and it’s not reviewable. There’s nothing you can really do about it.
“I was just trying to explain myself that I was trying to throw it closer to the guy down the field. I wasn’t going to throw it to him, I was going burn it, but obviously they didn’t see the ball get tipped. That’s just part of the game. You got to move on from it.”
The penalty put the Chiefs in a third-and-16 situation from their 36-yard line, which resulted in Mahomes getting sacked and a punt on fourth down. Who knows if Kansas City would have ended up getting points on that drive had the call been reversed, but it was certainly a momentum changer.
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