Getty Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney at Arrowhead Stadium on December 10, 2023.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney is still upset over a critical call in last week’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, accusing referees of lying about a warning before an offsides penalty that wiped out the go-ahead touchdown.
Toney was flagged for lining up offsides with a little more than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter of the December 10 game, negating a play where tight end Travis Kelce had a 27-yard catch-and-run before lateraling to Toney for a touchdown. Speaking to reporters this week, Toney sounded off on the call, accusing an official of failing to give him a warning about his illegal stance.
“Pretty Much Bogus”
Toney’s penalty came as the Chiefs were trailing by three points and driving, but instead it pushed them back out of field goal range. The Bills would not allow any more yards, forcing a turnover on downs to seal the 20-17 win.
Speaking to reporters on December 14, Toney made it clear that he still disagreed with the call.
“Pretty much bogus. It is what it is,” Toney said, via Fox 4 Kansas City. “Y’all wouldn’t be here talking to me if it wasn’t a big deal.”
Toney said the league informed him that an official had warned him that he was lining up offside, but Toney said that was not true and that he had no heads up that he was lined up in the neutral zone.
I don’t understand how the Chiefs are being so vocal about feeling like they got hosed.
Toney is clearly as offsides as it gets on offense and they threw the flag the second the ball was snapped.
“Then they came back and lied and said they gave me a warning, which I never talked to a ref,” Toney said. “We moving forward. I ain’t really studdin’ that. That’s small. Full spectrum, we moving forward. We ain’t really thinking about that no more.”
Patrick Mahomes Apologized for Reaction
Toney was not the only member of the Chiefs feeling the heat after the play. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was seen growing angry on the sidelines as he sought an explanation from officials, and later publicly criticized the call.
Mahomes remained heated during his postgame exchange with Bills quarterback Josh Allen, venting his frustration while they met on the field.
Mahomes backtracked the following day, saying in an appearance on 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City, Mahomes that he felt he crossed the line with his behavior toward officials.
“Obviously you don’t want to react that way; I mean, I care, man. I love it — I love this game, and I love my teammates. I want to go out there and put everything on the line to win, but obviously you can’t do that, can’t be that way toward officials or really anybody in life,” Mahomes said.
The Chiefs quarterback added that, “more than anything, I regretted the way I acted toward Josh [Allen] after the game, because he had nothing to do with it.”
The win brought the Bills to 7-6 and in a six-way tie for sixth place in the AFC. Tiebreakers pushed the Bills out of a playoff spot, but they have the chance to make up ground on December 17 when they host the Dallas Cowboys in Orchard Park. Heavy projections powered by Quarter4 give the Bills a 55% win probability.