New England Patriots fans are fuming after three missed calls cost the team dearly in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
The mantra that NFL officials are biased in favor of the New England Patriots is as old as the Tuck Rule. But on Sunday against Kansas City, it was Patriots fans crying foul for a change.
The Patriots lost at home to the Chiefs 23-16 in a game that featured plenty of controversial calls and non-calls. The first came near the end of the third quarter with the Chiefs facing a 3rd-and-2 in New England territory. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed a pass to tight end Travis Kelce near the first down marker, but Patriots safety Devin McCourty managed to knock the ball loose.
Just as Stephon Gilmore picked up the ball and was on his way to scoring a 60-yard touchdown for New England, the officials ruled Kelce was down and blew the play dead. New England was able to successfully challenge the call, but the six points came off the board and the Patriots were out of challenges after losing one earlier in the game.
The usual practice in close plays like these, as was made clear when the Saints fell victim to a similar call earlier this season, is for the officials to let the play go knowing every turnover is subject to automatic review.
As bad as that call was, the Patriots angst wasn’t through. Trailing by 10 points with 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady connected with rookie wide receiver N’Keal Harry inside the red zone. Harry eluded a tackle from Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens and reached for the goal line marker, but the official on the sideline ruled he stepped out of bounds at the 3-yard line. Replays shown on CBS, though, clearly showed Harry stayed in bounds throughout the play. Out of challenges, the Patriots had to settle for a field goal to make it a seven-point game.
But that wasn’t all. On their final drive, Brady threw a deep pass to Phillip Dorsett who was guarded by cornerback Kendall Fuller. Fuller got his arm in between Dorsett’s hands, a clear case of pass interference. No flag came out, though, and the Patriots were forced to convert a fourth down on a Brady scramble.
Because of the missed call on Harry, the Patriots had to score a touchdown to tie instead of simply kicking a field goal. But when Brady’s pass to Julian Edelman on fourth down was knocked away by Bashaud Breeland in the end zone, the comeback fell short and fans took to social media to vent their frustrations.
Patriots haters, of which there are many, can counter with all the favorable calls that have gone in New England’s favor over the years. From a phantom pass interference call to beat the Browns in 2013 to a roughing the passer penalty on Chris Jones in last year’s AFC Championship game for daring to lay a finger on Brady, they have plenty of ammunition.
Complaints about NFL officiating are nothing new, but not for the Patriots. That changed on Sunday, and it may well determine the AFC playoff race. The Patriots are now two games back of the Baltimore Ravens for the No.1 seed in the conference with three to play. The Chiefs, meanwhile, secured their playoff spot by clinching the AFC West title.