Monday night wasn’t just about the Kansas City Chiefs losing 31-28 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was about the avalanche of flags choking their rhythm and patience. Even Chiefs legend Jason Dunn couldn’t hold back as he called out a key play that went unnoticed by the refs.

“How do you not call that on the TE blocking Bolton!?! Holding, blocking in back, having bad breath, gotta be something. 😤😡😡”

Dunn notably referred to the missed call while the Jags were down by 14. Jaguars tight end Johnny Mundt notably held on to Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton to convert a 3rd down. And that was just one of the many reasons for frustration for the Chiefs Kingdom.

Head Coach Andy Reid weighed in post-game, keeping his cool but cutting to the heart of the matter. Mistakes didn’t help, but the refs made their calls, and the Chiefs paid the price on the field.

“We had 13 penalties to their 4. Whether I agree with them or don’t agree with them, it doesn’t matter. They called them. So, you have that many penalties, you give up field position, you can out-stat them to death, but that doesn’t matter. It’s the score that matters.”

Andy Reid didn’t blame refs outright but acknowledged the weight those penalties carried. Meanwhile, social media exploded with takes similar to Jason Dunn. It wasn’t just about disagreeing with the calls. Thirteen flags cost the Chiefs big in field position and momentum.

Discipline has been shaky this year. The Chiefs average about eight penalties and lose 70 yards per game–way higher than usual for them. When mental mistakes and questionable calls pile up, things fall apart fast. And for Kansas City, it just did against the Jaguars… big time.

The first half did look manageable. The Chiefs led 14-7 with just three penalties for 33 yards. Franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes was making the offense click, bouncing back from a Hollywood Brown unnecessary roughness penalty to score. But ten more flags piled up in the second half, and the Chiefs sank. Out of those 10 flags, special teams carried the harshest sting.

Penalties and the Special Teams spiral

The Chiefs’ special teams melted down when it mattered most. Four second-half penalties killed drives. Jack Cochrane got flagged twice on kickoff returns, erasing big gains that Brashard Smith made. Harrison Butker’s kickoff out of bounds late in the game handed the Jaguars prime field position at their own 40-yard line. That mistake helped set up the Jaguars’ game-winning touchdown drive.

Addressing the flags post-game, Patrick Mahomes left no room for excuses:

“I feel like we have the guys, and we’ve executed at certain points of games and looked really good. Then we crush ourselves with penalties and mistakes and interceptions and fumbles or whatever that is. – We’ve kind of done that to ourselves all year long. It’s kind of been one guy here or there. In this league, it’s so close that those change games. We’ve got to be better.”

That‌, in essence, has been the Chiefs’ 2025 season so far.

The Chiefs didn’t just lose a close game to the Jaguars… they unraveled. Penalties piled up, mistakes mounted, and special teams blew key plays. Andy Reid kept it simple: the scoreboard is what counts. But the frustration sticks, especially with questionable calls and costly errors. Now what? Clean up the penalties. Fix the special teams. And maybe next time, the flags won’t steal the show.