The Chiefs spent much of Sunday’s first half fighting the flags as much as the Broncos.
Kansas City was hit with eight penalties for 75 yards before halftime at Empower Field at Mile High, and four of those flags extended Denver drives with first downs. According to The Associated Press’ Josh Dubow, it was only the fourth time since Andy Reid took over as head coach that the Chiefs had been flagged eight or more times for at least 75 yards in a first half.
In the three previous games with that kind of penalty load, Kansas City won once. This time, the Chiefs dropped a 28-24 decision.
The most confusing moment came on a late first-half sequence that left Reid visibly frustrated. Facing third-and-6 from their 36, Patrick Mahomes completed a short pass to rookie Emmett Johnson for what was initially marked as a 4-yard gain.
A flag came down, officials spent a long time sorting through an illegal man downfield call, and Denver ultimately declined the penalty. That set up a fourth-and-2 situation, but the Chiefs sent out the punt unit.
Then came the odd part: the ball was respotted, and it appeared to be closer to a yard needed than two. Matt Araiza still punted, and during the commercial break, CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson reported that Reid gave the officials an earful over the late re-spot.
The first-half whistle parade started early. In the first quarter, linebacker Jack Cochrane was flagged after lowering his helmet on a tackle just as a Broncos running back dipped his own head. There was helmet-to-helmet contact, but only because of the Denver player.
The second quarter brought another call that drew plenty of skepticism. Chiefs guard Trey Smith was penalized for holding, and CBS Sports analyst J.J.
Watt said on the broadcast, “I’ll be honest, I don’t see much of a hold there,” Watt said on the telecast. “I can see why it looked like a hold to the referee, but I do not think there was much of a hold there, and I’m a defensive lineman.”
Later in the quarter, Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill was called for a facemask penalty on a play where Denver’s Jonah Coleman had his hand on Tranquill’s facemask.
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