The Chiefs didn’t lose Sunday’s game to the Bills because of an offsides call against Kadarius Toney that negated a go-ahead touchdown. But they acted as if they did.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, while acknowledging Toney was offsides, criticized officials for calling the foul on Toney instead of warning him.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called a foul on the Chiefs’ reaction to the penalty.
“Well, I find it a little ironic when you say ‘tension on officiating,’ when I think almost everybody, to my knowledge, is acknowledging the officials were absolutely correct,” Goodell said Wednesday at the NFL owners meetings in Irving, Texas. “That’s their job — to call when there’s a foul. There was no question about that foul. It was absolutely the right call. If you don’t call that, obviously we would have been subject, our officials would have been subject to criticism also.
“So, we all understand our officials are second-guessed. I’ve said it many times to you before: They are not perfect. No human being is. But the reality is they do an extraordinary job. I find it ironic that I’m standing here answering a question about [when] the officials got it right, and they’re being criticized. I think it shows you how difficult it is to do their job. And I understand that and understand it comes with the job. The officials understand that. But I am incredibly proud about not just what they did at that game, but also what they continue to do.”
He’s right: Officials would have been more scrutinized had they not called a penalty on the play. Toney was offsides.
His penalty wiped out a go-ahead touchdown on a Travis Kelce reception and lateral to Toney with 1:12 remaining. The Chiefs failed to score on the drive, turning it over on downs to the Bills with 55 seconds left, and Buffalo ran out the clock.
NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent confirmed Thursday that players and coaches remain subject to fines for criticizing officials publicly.
“During my time, you’ve got half the teams that win in the week, and the officiating was good. The other half that loses you don’t like the officiating. That’s the reality in our game,” Vincent said.