Getty Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor (center) is taking heat on social media after a key playoff penalty vs. the Miami Dolphins.
The Kansas City Chiefs had a 16-7 lead over the Miami Dolphins at the half, but they could have been up by more.
Rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice had a second receiving touchdown that was negated by a Jawaan Taylor block in the back — and Pro Football Focus’ lead analyst Sam Monson took a shot at the Chiefs right tackle on social media after the penalty.
$20m a year well spent
“$20 [million] a year well spent,” Monson voiced with a screenshot of the television broadcast noting that Taylor’s 17 penalties in 2023 is the “most in a season by any player since 2015.”
“Jawaan Taylor’s consistency is admirable,” Arrowhead Addict chimed in sarcastically, and Chiefs writer Adam Best added that “Jawaan Taylor must think he gets paid by the penalty.”
Even FanDuel grabbed their pound of flesh with a comical GIF of their own.
“Stop getting penalties.”
Jawaan Taylor:
Of course, Taylor’s flag didn’t end up factoring in the outcome as the Chiefs rolled to victory over the Dolphins on January 13, but the right tackle’s play will still be a major question mark as the playoffs go on.
Was Chiefs’ Jawaan Taylor Penalty vs. Dolphins Legit?
Taylor has obviously not lived up to his contract in 2023, with 47 quarterback pressures allowed on PFF, five charged sacks and the aforementioned penalties.
However, it’s possible that the penalty against the Dolphins wasn’t entirely Taylor’s fault. “Jawaan Taylor got shoved in the back, leading to his block in the back,” KC radio host Joshua Brisco stated after the flag. Questioning: “What is he supposed to do there?”
USA Today’s Doug Farrar agreed, noting that the play was “not a penalty,” being that Miami defensive lineman Zach Sieler shoved Taylor into Justin Houston. The Rate the Refs App included video.
Jawaan Taylor commits a block in the back and takes away a Chiefs touchdown. #MIAvsKC
A popular Chiefs fan post also described the penalty as “a disgustingly bad call on Jawaan Taylor.” Adding: “The witch hunt continues.”
You be the judge on this one, but it’s obvious that Taylor needs to play better in 2024.
Out of offensive tackles that have played a minimum 50% of snaps this season, Taylor ranks first in penalties, top 10 in pressures allowed and bottom three in overall run blocking grade on PFF. His pass blocking efficiency was tied for 36th in the NFL in 2023.
Kansas City signed Taylor to a four-year, $80 million contract last spring. His cap hit surges from $5.825 million this year to $24.725 million in 2024.
Patrick Mahomes & WR Rashee Rice Led Chiefs to Victory on Offense
Rice had quite the postseason debut versus Miami. The rookie wide receiver finished the first half with six receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown.
And if not for that penalty call against Taylor, that’s seven receptions for 100-plus yards and two scores in just two quarters’ time. What a spark plug effort from the youngster.
As the game came to a close, Rice stacked the stat sheet with eight catches for 130 yards — despite a brief injury scare. The other KC stars were tight end Travis Kelce (seven catches for 71 yards), cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (elite coverage), defensive end George Karlaftis (1.5 sacks), running back Isiah Pacheco and of course, Patrick Mahomes.
The reigning MVP quarterback finished with 262 yards passing despite the weather. He had one touchdown and zero sacks, with a passer rating of 88.3 and 41 integral yards on the ground.
On the other side of the coin, Tua Tagovailoa did very little in this outing. Along with one airmailed interception, the Dolphins quarterback went gone 20-of-39 for 199 yards passing and 25 rushing yards. He was also sacked twice with a passer rating of 63.9.
A large chunk of Tagovailoa’s passing yardage came on a 53-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill.