Patrick Mahomes, Jordan Love, Travis Kelce, and even Taylor Swift made spirited appearances at Lambeau Field for the Chiefs and Packers’ ‘Sunday Night Football’ game.
Even so, when the final whistle blew, it was the refereeing crew that captivated the crowd the most.
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The Week 13 matchup between Kansas City and Green Bay was always expected to be competitive, especially in sub-freezing temperatures. It came down to the wire, as with any great matchup between the two historic franchises. Mahomes would throw one haymaker, and Love would respond with his own.
The game’s final drive, on the other hand, was riddled with errors, not by the players on the field (at least not all of them), but by the pinstriped surveyors on the sideline.
In the final moments of Sunday night’s event, four dubious decisions were made. Suffice it to say, each had a significant impact on the game’s final score — a 27-19 victory for the Packers.
MORE: Jordan Love outduels Patrick Mahomes as the Packers win to get back to.500.
How the end of the Chiefs-Packers game on ‘Sunday Night Football’ was marred by controversial calls
With 1:09 left in regulation, Mahomes and company rushed onto the field, knowing that the only way back was to drive 75 yards to pay dirt — and add a two-point conversion — to tie the game at 27.
What followed was a slew of questionable penalties, obvious no-calls, and even a left hook for good measure. Here’s how it played out.
Jonathan Owens is penalized for baffling unnecessary roughness with 1:05 remaining.
Mahomes strutted forward for 10 yards on a scramble to start the Chiefs’ quest for a game-tying touchdown. As he approached the sideline, he collided with Jonathan Owens, who landed a crushing blow on the Chiefs hurler.
There is no harm, no foul. At least, that’s how it appeared until a piece of rancid laundry was thrown onto the field. Despite tackling Mahomes while he was in bounds, Owens was called for unnecessary roughness. As a result, Kansas City gained 15 yards, putting the Chiefs in Packers territory with less than a minute remaining.
Terry McAulay, an NBC refereeing expert, was outraged by the decision.
“This is absolutely not a foul,” McAulay stated during the broadcast. “[Mahomes] is trying to gain yardage; he needs to get out of bounds.” He didn’t; he’s within his rights. This isn’t a personal offense. “I should not have called.”
It couldn’t possibly get any worse, could it?
Rashee Rice’s fumble is overturned, and Isiah Pacheco is ejected for punching Keisean Nixon.
Only one play later, it appeared that the Chiefs had surrendered their lead. Rashee Rice took an arrow from Mahomes and raced down the sideline like a man possessed. Quay Walker quickly wrapped a warm embrace around him and ripped the ball away as he landed on the turf. Corey Ballentine scooped it up and dashed 68 yards to the end zone, seemingly putting the game out of reach.
Rice, as it turned out, was knocked out by contact. He landed on his backside with the ball clearly in his possession, rendering the fumble ineffective. The call on the field was correctly overturned by the umpires.
MORE: Isiah Pacheco ejected from ‘SNF’ after throwing a punch
The thing is, that wasn’t the only thing that happened during that play. Pacheco collided with Packers corner Keisean Nixon in the background. Nixon pinned Pacheco as Ballentine raced to the sideline, drawing the ire of his opponent. Pacheco responded by delivering a stinging left-handed blow to Nixon’s helmet.
Pacheco received his walking papers as a result of the strike. Nixon was not punished for his role in the scrum, which is not surprising. In situations like these, it’s usually the second guy who gets punished.
Still, a frantic game. Fortunately, things can’t get any weirder. Right?
Despite clear contact between Carrington Valentine and Marquez Valdes-Scantling at 0:49, defensive pass interference is not called.
It happened after only one play! Another perplexing decision, this time in favor of the Packers!
Marquez On a streak pattern, Valdes-Scantling appeared to have the upper hand over Carrington Valentine, flying down the field in an attempt to catch Mahomes’ lofted throw. He made direct contact with Valentine as the ball rolled towards him. Valentine cradled Valdes-Scantling, making him feel completely at ease as he collapsed to the turf.
It appeared to be a clear case of defensive pass interference. However, no whistle was blown. Valdes-Scantling and Mahomes were furious, extending their arms in protest of the no-call. However, the referees were adamant that Valdes-Scantling had not been illegally impeded, even though it was clear that he had.
Once more, from McAulay:
“I couldn’t see anything because I was on the ground,” Valdes-Scantling said after the game to reporters. “It’s up to the authorities.” I have no control over what they do or do not do. I know I tried and failed to catch the ball.”
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It doesn’t matter. There can’t be any more contentious decisions on the way. Is it possible?
Jonathan Owens makes contact with Travis Kelce on an erroneous Hail Mary attempt with 0:00 remaining.
On Sunday, Mahomes tried one more prayer, launching a moonshot into the night sky in the hopes of finding red-and-white gloves.
His invocation went unanswered, and his attempt landed harmlessly on the turf. However, it appeared that Owens pushed Kelce with two hands as he leapt to catch the ball.
It appeared to be a 50/50 bet, especially given the amount of jostling that usually occurs during Hail Marys. Still, it was enough to raise a red flag, according to McAulay.
“It looked in real time like a two-hand shove in the back, not playing the ball,” McAulay told reporters. “If this isn’t a Hail Mary, it’s definitely pass interference.” I understand, you let a lot more go. But it looks like a two-handed shove right there.”
Even in the best of circumstances, refereeing is a source of frustration for the league. Sunday evening was not one of those occasions. And it could be crucial in a tense playoff race — with the loss, the Chiefs (8-4) fell one game behind the conference-leading Dolphins, while the Packers (6-6) clinched a wild-card spot for the time being.
