Kansas City Chiefs bemoan final moments of loss in Green Bay،
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Kansas City Chiefs saw the end of Sunday night's game devolve into chaos, with the final 1:09 marked by an unnecessary roughness penalty, a fumble recovery that was overturned, a ejection and a controversial pass interference non-call.
When all was said and done, Kansas City – needing a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to force overtime – instead saw Patrick Mahomes' pass in the end zone on the final play batted away, so that the Green Bay Packers were holding on. for a 27-19 victory.
The Chiefs, hoping to tie the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins for the best record in the AFC, fell to 8-4 after their third loss in five outings.
In what was later a topic of discussion in the Chiefs locker room, officials opted not to throw a flag for interference as Packers defensive back Carrington Valentine appeared to be draped over Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a deep pass from Mahomes in a first game. and -10 from the 50 yard line. Had the penalty been called, the Chiefs would have been placed inside the Green Bay 10-yard line with 14 seconds left.
Valdes-Scantling said that after the game he asked the official why there was no penalty.
“He didn’t even recognize me,” Valdes-Scantling said.
When asked if it was a penalty, Valdes-Scantling replied: “I was trying to get the ball and I ended up on the ground. I don't know what they saw, but I tried to catch him and I didn’t get the chance.”
Mahomes finally got his team into Packers territory, but the Chiefs stalled at the Green Bay 33, with Mahomes' final four pass attempts all landing incomplete.
“Obviously the guy was probably a little bit early, but at the end of the game they let the guys play,” Mahomes said of the lack of a penalty on the pass to Valdes-Scantling. “I'm more about that. I'd rather let guys play and let them win on the field, but it's tough.
“I can't want a flag. I have to try to go out there and win the game myself and with the rest of my teammates.”
Referee Brad Allen, when asked about the play after the game, said in a pool report that “on every play where there may or may not be pass interference, offensive or defensive, the covering referee must decide whether the contact materially restricts the recipient. And in this case, the coverage officials were in a good position and ruled that there were no material restrictions up to the level of defensive pass interference. »
Earlier in the drive, Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco was ejected from the game and penalized 15 valuable yards for hitting a Packers player.
“You can’t do that,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said afterward. “You have to stay calm.”
Mahomes acknowledged the penalty hurt the Chiefs, but said he appreciated Pacheco's energy.
“I love the fire of [Pacheco]”, Mahomes said. “That brings us to an offense. Obviously you have a flag in that situation, but I mean we were already in a bad situation, so I mean I never want to take the passion away from a guy. He will learn from it. I'm sure he won't make that mistake again, but that's what we need on this team to have the success we want.”
The Chiefs' final chaotic drive began with Green Bay defensive back Jonathan Owens penalized for hitting Mahomes while going out of bounds on a 10-yard run, a personal foul that put the ball on the 45-yard line from Green Bay.
“In my mind, I just wanted to hit him before he went out of bounds to try to put him away and move the clock forward,” Owens said. “It was less than a minute, I believe, so keep the clock running, just try to make a team play. If you can get a legal hit on a quarterback, grab it every time you get one have the opportunity.
“I knew it was legal.”
Kansas City player Rashee Rice then appeared to fumble, with Green Bay's Corey Ballentine returning it 68 yards for what would have been a game-clinching touchdown. But the replay showed Rice was down before the ball came loose, so the Chiefs retained possession.
ESPN's Rob Demovsky contributed to this report.
