During the Kansas City Chiefs‘ 17-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, quarterback Patrick Mahomes lost it.
The usually composed Mahomes was livid over the offsides penalty on wide receiver Kadarius Toney, which nullified tight end Travis Kelce‘s incredible touchdown pass.
After the final whistle blew, Mahomes couldn’t keep his composure while shaking Bills quarterback Josh Allen‘s hand. Instead of saying the usual, “Good game. Stay healthy,” Mahomes yelled, “That was the wildest f****** call I’ve ever seen.” Stomping away in anger, “F****** terrible,” he added.
Waking up on Monday, December 11, the two-time Super Bowl MVP was filled with regret. During an appearance on The Drive with Carrington Harrison of 610 Sports Radio, Mahomes sent a strong message to Allen.
“Obviously you don’t react that way. I mean I care, man. I love it, I love this game, I love my teammates and I want to go out there and put everything on the line to win,” Mahomes said. “But obviously, can’t do that. Can’t be that way towards officials or really anybody in life.
“Probably regret acting like that, but more than anything, I regret the way I acted toward Josh after the game because he had nothing to do with it. I was still hot and emotional, but you can’t do that, man. It’s not a great example for kids watching the game. I was more upset about that than I was about me on the sideline.”
Patrick Mahomes was Not Surprised At How Angry He Got
Mahomes received a lot of flack for complaining about the ref’s call, especially since Toney was offsides and he didn’t check his spot with the sideline judge. While the refs are responsible for a ton of horrible game-changing calls this season, the penalty on Toney wasn’t one of them.
“It’s tough when you play a hard-fought game and it comes down to stuff like that,” Mahomes told Harrison. “Either way, it’s part of the game. You try to be better as a person and be better as a player. It’s something that I’ll learn from in my career. And try to be better the next time the situation arises.”
When Harrison asked if he was “surprised” at how angry he got, “No, not really,’ Mahomes said. “It was a big play in the game that obviously got negated because of a foul. I didn’t have great explanation for it. Obviously, I’m not seeing the view from the sideline or anything like that…. I was trying to get an explanation but didn’t really get one.
“Obviously, I’ve seen it now…. It’s just something you rarely see in the NFL. But it was a foul… but you learn from your mistake and try to be better the next time.” Harrison noted that under head coach Andy Reid, there’s never been an offensive offsides penalty called.
A total of 13 offensive offsides penalties have been called this season, the AP reported, but only seven in the past three years.
Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Also Walked Back His Statement on The Ref’s Penalty
It was a rough hangover Monday for the Chiefs. Earlier in the day, Reid also walked back his fired-up remarks against the refs. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Reid admitted Toney didn’t check with sideline judge or the ref.
“That would be the coaching moment,” Reid said. “Just make you sure check with the guy on the side to make sure you’re aligned. He’s not lining up offsides on purpose. And listen, it was two inches or an inch from being legal.”
NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky pointed out that Toney lined up offsides several times throughout the matchup, but was only called for a penalty on that final drive. Consistency in officiating obviously remains a huge issue in the league.
The Chiefs (8-6) will look to get back in the win column when they face the New England Patriots (3-10) next week.
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Patrick Mahomes Regrets Postgame Exchange With Bills QB Josh Allen