Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
During the Kansas City Chiefs’ 27-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13, the Bengals put on an acting performance that had social media up in arms.
Late in the second quarter of the outing at Paycor Stadium, the Chiefs, who were inside Cincinnati’s red zone, broke their offensive huddle as two Bengals defenders were still making their way onto the field. As a result, Cincinnati safety Jessie Bates III appeared to fake an injury, which forced the referees to call an injury timeout and prevented the Bengals from being out of position and potentially penalized.
When you fake an injury because your unit is unprepared. #ChiefsKingdom #Bengals #Chiefs
Twitter Reacts to Bates Faking Injury
Ultimately, the acting job by Bates didn’t matter, as Kansas City scored three plays later on a 2-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to running back Jerick McKinnon. However, Twitter users called for the NFL to punish Bates for faking an injury.
“Hey, @NFLOfficiating I know it ain’t a penalty right now, but isn’t it like a TEXTBOOK DEFINITION OF UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT???” one Twitter user wrote.
“Bengals own us but they are the softest team in the league for this,” another user wrote.
“How does this have no consequences? Same way every other BS call happens every Bengals game? Ok,” another user wrote.
“Come on man. This should be a fine or something. No place in the game for this,” another user wrote.
“Crook @NFL referees let Bengals get away with a fake injury so they don’t get a delay of game penalty. There is a REF in the back of the endzone seeing this entire viewing angle. Includes the Bengals player falling down,” another user wrote.
“Even though it looks like the defender fakes the injury, officials are directed to stop play and treat it like any normal injured player. With the emphasis on safety, and since officials aren’t medical professionals, it must be treated with caution,” another user wrote.
“Hey @NFL @NFLOfficiating this aught to be a penalty right?! Having to fake an injury because your unit is unprepared is trash football. At least charged a timeout,” another user wrote.
Chiefs Knocked Out of Top AFC Seed
The loss to Cincinnati in Week 13 means the Chiefs (9-3) are 0-3 in their last three outings against the Bengals and have now lost the top seed in the AFC to the Buffalo Bills (9-3).
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 16-of-27 pass attempts for 223 yards and scored 2 total touchdowns (1 passing, 1 rushing) vs. Cincinnati. Tight end Travis Kelce caught a team-high 4 passes for 56 yards and had a costly fourth quarter fumble. Rookie running back Isiah Pacheco ran the ball 14 times for 66 yards and scored his second career touchdown on an 8-yard scamper early in the third quarter.
On 3rd & 4, #Chiefs rookie RB Isiah Pacheco rushes it 8 yards up the middle for a TD. PAT is good.
Kansas City’s defense struggled to defend quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense. Burrow completed 25-of-31 pass attempts for 286 yards and 3 total touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing). Second-year receiver Ja’Marr Chase had 7 catches for 97 yards. Running back Samaje Perine, who got the start in place of Joe Mixon (concussion), ran the ball 21 times for 106 yards. He also had an additional 49 yards in the air on 6 catches.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow drops back, tucks the football, and punches it in the endzone from 4 yards out. PAT is good.
The Chiefs enter Week 14 still in first place in the AFC West ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers (6-6), Las Vegas Raiders (5-7), and Denver Broncos (3-9).
Kansas City’s next outing is a home game against the Broncos on Sunday, December 11 at 3:05 p.m. Central Time.