The Kansas City Chiefs enter Week 3 with a pristine 2-0 record, and several players across the league think the refs played a decent role in their early season success. While nobody denies the greatness of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes or head coach Andy Reid, there have been more than a few questionable calls that went Kansas City’s way over the past few years. This is true of every single team in the league, as officials are human and thus make errors that can impact the outcome of a game. However, when you’re the best team in the league, everyone else notices when certain calls benefit you.
Dallas Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons recently weighed in on the controversy and made it clear that he believes the Chiefs got the benefit of the doubt from the refs. However, with that in mind, the three-time All-Pro also noted how good Kansas City is and that it’s up to the Chiefs opponents to not be in a position where the officiating can determine the outcome.
“That game was pretty crazy…a lot of calls went both ways. I felt like the refs did favor the Chiefs a little bit more. But at the end of the day, you can’t put the game in the refs’ hands…It’s very hard to win in the NFL, so the fact that they’re 2-0 shows how resilient and how good they really are. So guess what? The rest of the league, we got to keep working, right? And you’re telling me taht’s the worst game you’re going to get out of Patrick Mahomes, and he still won? We have to get better.”
Micah Parsons: “The Refs Did Favor the Chiefs”
Last week’s pass interference call is the latest source of controversy around the Chiefs and the refs. Facing off against the Cincinnati Bengals, Patrick Mahomes threw a prayer downfield to Rashee Rice on 4th and 16. The pass fell incomplete, but Rice drew a pass interference penalty to give the Chiefs a new set of downs. This incompletion would’ve effectively ended the game, but instead, Mahomes and the Chiefs drove down the field to score the game-wining field goal as time expired.
Did the Bengals deserve this late pass interference call, or did the referees bail out the Chiefs?
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The fact this is a controversial call speaks to how obsessed everyone is with the Chiefs. Like it or not, the defender clearly made contact before the ball reached Rice. That’s the textbook definition of pass interference, and the refs made the correct call in the Chiefs game. Fans of the conspiracy also fail to mention how the officials missed an offensive pass interference penalty on Ja’Marr Chase. However, this doesn’t mean the team is completely free of controversy.
Back in the Chiefs Week 1 contest against the Baltimore Ravens, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley received three separate illegal formation penalties, as the refs tried to crack down on tackles lining up too far off the line of scrimmage. The only problem is that this was not equally enforced throughout the game. Based on the broadcast view, Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor also lined up too far off the line but never received a penalty. While this was objectively unfair, it’s not enough to justify claims of a leaguewide conspiracy.
Main Photo: Sam Greene – USA Today Sports
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