Jason Kelce has a sharp eye for what happens up front, and he wasn’t about to let this one go unnoticed. During the Kansas City Chiefs clash with the Denver Broncos, a young Chiefs player drew contact that Kelce felt should have ended in a flag, but didn’t. The former All-Pro center didn’t hold back, calling out the officiating crew directly.
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“The NFL posting a clear and obvious penalty, and then giving the (hands) emoji is pretty hilarious,” Kelce posted on X.
The league had posted a clip of Chiefs rookie offensive lineman Kahlil Benson supposedly “helping” running back Emmett Johnson pick up extra yards against the Broncos. Kelce watched it and immediately called foul, saying it was as clear a penalty.
And honestly, he’s not wrong. Pulling a runner is illegal; NFL Rule 12-1-4 bans players from grabbing, pulling, or lifting a ball carrier in any direction. Back in 2005, the league loosened things up a bit by allowing pushing, which used to be banned too. But pulling and carrying never got that same pass.
The NFL’s own officiating department addressed this exact scenario back in Week 8 of the 2022 season.
“This is not a foul, because what he is doing is pushing the runner. Players are allowed to push, but they are not allowed to encircle and pull to assist the runner.”
According to Football Zebras (reported in 2019), in assistance with Quirky Research, nobody can find a single instance of this penalty actually being called since a Chiefs-Bills divisional playoff game way back in 1991.
The Chiefs weren’t done getting the benefit of the doubt either. Take Mahomes’ opening touchdown. His first attempt, a five-yard scramble, got wiped out by holding, sending Kansas City back to the 15.
He punched it in again on the next snap, diving through two defenders for the score. Except replay suggested Travis Kelce got away with another hold on that very play, one that arguably should have sent the Chiefs packing to the 25 for a third attempt.
Honestly, refs aren’t going to flag every borderline hold or push that happens on a football field. That’s just the reality of the game. But it cuts both ways. Denver’s Pat Bryant got hit with two holding calls of his own, and Peyton Manning wasn’t shy about it on the ManningCast, calling one of them a weak call.
None of these moments changed the outcome of Kansas City’s 31-10 win. But between the missed calls and the inconsistent flags, it’s fair to wonder if the whistle was a little uneven all night.