Announcers Dumbfounded as Referees Appear to Let Chiefs Player Get Away with 'Tremendous' Advantage All Game
The only reason this isn’t a bigger story is because the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs suffered a stunning 21-20 home loss to the historically moribund Detroit Lions in the NFL kickoff game on Thursday.
But that doesn’t make it any less wildly egregious.
The Chiefs may have suffered one of the more ignominious losses of the Patrick Mahomes era, but it certainly wasn’t because the referees had it out for them.
In fact, as many observers noticed, the refs appeared to be letting the Chiefs get away with a number of illegal tactics, primarily with regards to what Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor was getting away with.
It was bad enough that NBC, the network that aired the opening NFL game, brought in its rule analyst and even he couldn’t defend the referees (of note, NBC’s Terry McAulay is a former referee himself, so he’s not exactly champing at the bit to criticize his fraternity brothers.)
NBC’s Terry McAulay on Chiefs’ RT Jawaan Taylor: “He’s really not remotely close, and it’s really putting the defensive end at a tremendous disadvantage when you can be that far back.”
Taylor appeared well behind the LOS and appeared to start early throughout the game. pic.twitter.com/2UrkTH8bTo
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 8, 2023
McAulay blasted the way in which Taylor was allowed to line up so far back of the line of scrimmage (for the unaware, that gives Taylor a massive advantage in setting up in pass protection.)
“To be on the [offensive] line, his helmet has to break the waistline of the center,” McAulay said during the broadcast. “And to be honest, we’ve watched him the whole game, he’s really not remotely close, and it’s really putting the defensive end at a tremendous disadvantage when he can be that far back.”
But it wasn’t just the illegal formation that Taylor appeared to get away with most of the game.
Other observers of the game noticed that Taylor was getting away with a number of false-start penalties. Those should happen when the ball is ready to be snapped, and an offensive lineman moves before the ball is snapped.
How is Jawaan Taylor not called for false start? #OnePride pic.twitter.com/9evbnjnx2V
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) September 8, 2023
@Chiefs right tackle jumping on every play. The @NFL needs to fix this. This has been allowed for years. #ChiefsVsLions #ChiefsKingdom #Lions pic.twitter.com/27ccsveXnp
— Ricky G (@RickyG457615788) September 8, 2023
Why are NFL referees allowing Jawaan Taylor to jump early on every down and lineup in the backfield?
— Nick Adams (Alpha Male) (@NickAdamsinUSA) September 8, 2023
The brazenness of it all left even NBC’s experienced announce crew dumbfounded and grasping for comparisons.
NBC’s Cris Collinsworth even went so far as to quip that Taylor was playing as a slot receiver during the game:
Chiefs OL Taylor finally got called for a penalty with 2 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter.
Chris Collinsworth: “Jawaan Taylor playing slot receiver.” 😂pic.twitter.com/5gtFAUI386
— Chargers Central (@BoltCentral) September 8, 2023
To say that this was an inauspicious start to the NFL season would be a gross understatement.
One of the NFL’s premiere franchises and quarterbacks getting an incredibly generous whistle at home on ring ceremony night against a downtrodden franchise?
It’s easy to see how that narrative could quickly and violently blow up in the NFL’s face, especially after years of accusations that the NFL gave a favorable whistle to the league’s last dynastic team, the New England Patriots.
(And make no mistake, the Chiefs have all the early makings of a dynasty. The last team to make three of four Super Bowls, as the Chiefs have done? The Patriots.)
In a way, then, it probably worked out for the best that the Chiefs suffered a humbling home loss on Thursday.
Had the Chiefs won (or covered the spread, in today’s sports gambling-crazed world), all anybody would be talking about is the referee epidemic in the league.
No league wants to start the season like that, with such a singular focus on the referees. In fact, the Chiefs lost … and it’s still a major talking point the morning after.
For the Chiefs, they’ll have a chance to silence their critics and get back on the winning track on Sept. 17 when they travel to face the Jacksonville Jaguars– which is, ironically, Taylor’s last team.
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