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Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are on a two-game losing streak after their Week 14 home loss to the Buffalo Bills. It's the second consecutive week the defending Super Bowl champions scored below 20 points.
However, they could have won the game if Kadarius Toney's touchdown catch off a Travis Kelce lateral pass wasn't nullified. Instead, game officials called an offensive offsides call on Toney, preserving Buffalo's 20-17 victory.
Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes expressed their distaste for the Toney penalty
As ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter tweeted, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid wasn't pleased with the violation charged against Kadarius Toney. According to him, game officials typically warn them if their players are offsides before the snap.
Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes had an outburst after the penalty. He had a lengthy rant during the post-game press conference. Aside from criticizing the referees for what he thinks is a mistake, he gave props to Travis Kelce for doing a heads-up play.
Here's ESPN's Jeff Darlington's tweet regarding Mahomes' statement about the play and the penalty.
Kelce was able to advance the ball to the Bills' 20-yard line. But before getting tackled, the former quarterback in high school threw a lateral pass to Toney, who was in the 25-yard line. The third-year wideout dashed to the end zone with no defender nearby.
Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid pleading a lost case
However, reviews show that Toney's foot was on the line of scrimmage. Even if the officials don't warn them about being offsides, he should know his spot, especially if he's near the neutral zone.
Meanwhile, CBS Sports rules analyst and former NFL game official Gene Steratore explained that Toney was offsides. He also mentioned that offensive offsides are rarely called because receivers rarely line up near the line of scrimmage.
The rule is that offensive players must have their entire body behind the neutral zone, typically marked by the ball's length. Toney's foot on the line of scrimmage makes it a blatant penalty.
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero tweeted the pool report between referee Carl Cheffers and Senior Vice President of officiating Walt Anderson. They said no warning is required, especially if they are egregiously offside.
Instead of the go-ahead touchdown, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs faced third-and-15 after the penalty on Toney. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player threw two passes to Kelce to move the chains, but both went incomplete.
While Toney was caught being offsides, some football fans argue that Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller went offsides on the next play. Game officials, especially the line judge, didn't throw the yellow flag.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were tagged with more penalties
While the offsides penalty against Kadarius Toney was the most consequential, Patrick Mahomes' squad was flagged with seven total penalties for 45 net yards. Meanwhile, the Bills only had four penalties for 35 yards.
Mahomes also threw an interception while Rashee Rice fumbled the ball. Those infractions proved costly, especially with the Chiefs having the ball for only 24 minutes. Mahomes and the Chiefs will try to end their skid in Week 15 on the road against the New England Patriots.
