The defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs host the current AFC leaders, the Denver Broncos, on a 7:15 p.m. Central Time game that will be streamed live on Amazon Prime, and until recently was clearly intended to be the centerpiece of Amazon’s NFL schedule this season.
That all changed last Sunday when the Chiefs, who had struggled for most of the season, were eliminated from playoff contention when they lost to the Los Angeles Chargers for the second time this season, this one by a narrow 16-13 score in a game that really wasn’t as close as the scoreboard made it look.
The Chiefs were shut out after a field goal with 38 seconds remaining in the first half, and following a promising start to the game with an opening-drive touchdown, were kept out of the end zone for the rest of the contest.
The lackluster loss eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention, ending their streak of 11 straight playoff appearances and obviously counting them out of contention to win the AFC for the sixth time in seven years. But that wasn’t even the worst thing that happened.
Future Hall of Fame quarterback Patrick Mahomes left the game with a torn ACL in his left knee, ending his season and potentially keeping the three-time Super Bowl winner out of at least some games in 2026 as well.
More Bad News For One Chiefs Star
The bad news did not end there either. As the NFL announced on Saturday, Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster — a nine-year veteran in his second stint with Kansas City — was slapped with a fine for what the NFL Operations Department, as well as officials on the field at the time, called an illegal blindside block.
According to the NFL Gameday Accountability page, Smith-Schuster will be required to pay $7,903 for the unnecessary roughness violation.
The 29-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers 2017 second-round draft pick is playing this season on a one-year contract with a salary of $1.26 million, so he should be able to absorb the fine — but he can also file an appeal with the league.
Smith-Schuster, as are all NFL players who receive fines, would have been notified of the punishment in writing earlier this week. But there has been no announcement of any plans to appeal.
Violation Came in 4th Quarter
Smith-Schuster was called for the foul at 14:10 of the game’s final quarter, as he was attempting to provide protection for his fellow wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, hitting Chargers safety Tony Jefferson.
The hit allowed Thornton to complete a 35-yard reception on a Mahomes pass. But the catch and the gain were erased by the penalty call on Smith-Schuster.
The flag was the fourth of the year, but only the third to be accepted by the opposing team, thrown against Smith-Schuster. But the others have all been for the relatively minor infraction of offensive holding.
But the fine was the receiver’s second of the season and fifth of his career. The 2018 Pro Bowler was also fined $7,903 for a low block in the Chiefs’ Week 4 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
In his rookie year of 2017, Smith-Schuster was suspended for one game and fined $27,353 for a blindside block followed by a taunting violation against Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
Chiefs Star Slapped With NFL Punishment Before Christmas Game