In the midst of increasing chatter from fans and commentators suggesting that the Chiefs are favoured by NFL officials, the league has slapped hefty fines on two Kansas City players. Prior to their 32-29 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Conference Championship game on Sunday, two Chiefs were penalised for their actions in the Divisional Round.
Safety Bryan Cook was hit with a fine of $8,443 for unnecessary roughness after executing a hip-drop tackle on Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz with less than 13 minutes left in the first quarter of the Chiefs’ 23-14 win last week. His fellow safety, Justin Reid, was fined $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct after making a violent gesture with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game.
Interestingly, neither Cook nor Reid were penalised for these incidents during the match – only to be fined a week later when their actions were deemed illegal. These fines come at a time when the Chiefs are facing severe criticism for allegedly being favoured by referees.
On Sunday, these accusations reached a crescendo in the fourth quarter of the Championship game. On a fourth-and-inches play from the Chiefs’ 41-yard line, Buffalo attempted to gain the first down via a “tush push.”
Although quarterback Josh Allen seemed to have been pushed past the line to gain, officials ultimately ruled that he fell approximately two inches short.
CBS rules expert Gene Steratore was quick to challenge a contentious decision during the game, asserting that player Allen indeed crossed the milestone. “I felt like he gained it by about a third of the football, Jim. That was just my take on the play. Tough, tough play,” he relayed to commentator Jim Nantz.
Post-match, Bills coach Sean McDermott echoed Steratore’s opinion, confident Allen had secured the necessary distance. “I thought he had it,” McDermott said.
“Just short of the line was actually the first down, what it looked like to me when it was sitting next to me with the marker, just inside that white stripe was the first down and it looked like he got to it. That’s all I can say.”
Meanwhile, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes shrugs off suggestions of referee bias in favor of his team. “I don’t feel that way,” he responded when queried about any perceived special treatment from officials.
“I just try to play football at the end of the day. The referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and as proper as they can and all you can do is go out there and play the game you love as hard as you can and live with the results.”
He elaborated on the ever-changing nature of NFL officiating and how it impacts the uniqueness of each play. “You get new referees every year, you get new circumstances, and you never can really tell because every play’s different and that’s what makes the NFL so special. I feel like I’ve just continued to play the game, and I just try to win, and whatever happens kind of happens’.”
This article originally appeared on Mirror US
