Following the Chiefs‘ Sunday defeat to the Buffalo Bills, NFL referee Carl Cheffers has addressed the criticism he has received from the team.
The Chiefs were quite incensed about the offside call that cost them a winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Kadarius Toney was called for an erroneous line-up after he found himself in the end zone.
Speaking to reporters after the 20-17 loss, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes both took a jab at the officials, claiming they should have been informed of the offside.
“Normally I get a warning before something like that happens in a big game. A bit embarrassing in the NFL for that to take place” Reid remarked.
Mahomes said:
“Another game we’re talking about the refs. “It’s not what we want for the NFL. It’s not what we want for football. Let us play the game. Then whatever happens happens.”
Pool report with NFL SVP Walt Anderson and referee Carl Cheffers, who said of the critical offsides penalty on #Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney: “(C)ertainly, no warning is required, especially if they are lined up so far offsides where they’re actually blocking our view of the ball.” pic.twitter.com/iKQPujy5R0
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 11, 2023
“Certainly, no warning is required, especially if they are lined up so far offsides where they’re actually blocking our view of the ball,” he said.
“If it’s egregious enough, it would be beyond a warning. So really regardless of whether or not he was warned at other times during the day, if it was an egregious alignment to where he was over the ball — whether he had warnings or not — it would still be a foul.”
The call was made on the field by Cheffers, who has now given an explanation, informing a pool reporter that the distance Toney was standing offside did not require him to issue a warning.
Things might get worse for Reid and Mahomes since the NFL will analyze their remarks in light of the league’s established policy against casting doubt on the impartiality of officials.