Patrick Mahomes hit Rashee Rice for what looked like a game-winning touchdown with four seconds left. One referee flag erased it all, leaving the Chiefs defeated and fans furious.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Kansas City lost 28-24 to the Denver Broncos in Week 8. This loss hits Kansas City hard. After opening the season 5-0, two straight losses have pushed them out of the top spot in the AFC West, giving Denver control of the division and hurting the Chiefs’ fight for the top playoff seed.
Denver moved into first place in the AFC West at 6-2, while the Chiefs fell to 5-2 with a second straight loss. The Chiefs led 24-13 entering the fourth quarter. Denver then scored 15 straight points, helped by a missed 54-yard field goal from Harrison Butker with 2:36 left.
Jonah Coleman’s 5-yard touchdown run put the Broncos up 28-24 with 1:56 remaining. Mahomes then drove Kansas City to first-and-goal at the 4 with 35 seconds left.
Kenneth Walker was stopped at the 1. Mahomes threw an incomplete pass, and Walker was stopped again for no gain on third down.
That left fourth-and-goal at the 1 with four seconds on the clock. Mahomes hit Rashee Rice on a quick slant for what looked like the winning score.
Then came the flag. Right tackle Jaylon Moore was called for a false start, and the touchdown came off the board. Under the NFL rulebook, a false start is when a set offensive player moves to imitate the start of a play before the snap. The penalty costs five yards, so the Chiefs were pushed back to the 6.
On the play, Moore turned his head back toward Mahomes before the snap. Referees flagged it as a false start, but replays left fans and coaches asking if looking back counts as a penalty.
The rulebook also says officials must blow the whistle immediately on the foul. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid directly questioned the call after the game, telling reporters he only saw Moore turn his head and didn’t see a false start.
Meanwhile, Denver’s Malcolm Roach then sacked Mahomes to end the game. Mahomes still finished 30 of 41 for 321 yards and three touchdowns, while Sean Payton earned his 200th career win.
Denver visits Carolina in Week 9, and the Chiefs will be left asking about that last flag, which has now prompted reactions from Chiefs fans.
One fan went straight to sarcasm about the calls Kansas City usually gets.
“cHiEFs get aLL ThE cALLs”
“Not a Chiefs Fan, but since when does looking back at the QB constitute a false start?” one fan said, questioning the rule itself.
“That false start seemed kinda weak at the goal line,” a fan said, thinking the flag was thin for such a big moment.
“I have no idea how that was a false start,” another commentator admitted, saying the penalty was a complete mystery.
One more fan said they replayed the clip over and over.
“I watched this about 10 times already. Can someone explain to me how is this a false start? I legit don’t see it”
One commentator blamed the officials for the league’s image.
“Your refs are trashing this league; false start????!!”
Four seconds stood between the Chiefs and a last-second win. One flag later, Denver had the victory, and Kansas City had a whole lot to say.