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It wasn’t simple, however the Kansas City Chiefs pulled off a thrilling 30-29 victory towards the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night time Soccer. However in a sport filled with emotional ups and downs, there was one play that left soccer followers in every single place scratching their heads.
On third-and-8 with a little bit over a minute to go within the first half, Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones sacked Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. Jones appeared to have stripped the ball within the course of. After a dialog, officers referred to as a roughing-the-passer penalty on Jones for placing his full physique weight on the Carr.
Identical to that, an enormous momentum-swinging play that will have given the ball to the Chiefs in Raiders territory with a few minute left within the half, as an alternative continued a Las Vegas drive that led to a 50-yard discipline objective — giving the group a 20-7 lead.
As you’ll be able to think about, the Arrowhead crowd was not having it.
Kansas Metropolis would go on to win the sport — making the decision a smaller subject than it in any other case might need been — however after the sport, there have been nonetheless many Chiefs gamers and coaches who needed to precise their emotions about it.
“I really stripped the ball and gravity took me to the bottom,” Jones defined to reporters within the group’s locker room. “It’s a roughing-the-passer name in a essential state of affairs within the sport. It’s third down and we’re down 10 factors, you already know what I imply? That’s a momentum shift within the sport that might have affected us.”
Jones didn’t care that no rationalization for the decision had been given to him.
“There’s no want for a proof,” he mentioned. “What, I’m going to go to them and say, ‘How ought to I sort out?’ or ‘How ought to I not roll on him?’ Yeah, I’m making an attempt my finest. I’m 325 kilos. What would you like me to do? I’m working full pace making an attempt to get the quarterback. I hit the ball and I brace my fingers.
“I get it occurs so quick — and it sort of seems to be like that originally — however once you really have a look at it by the video and sluggish it down, you see how I sort of brace. The ref might need simply seen an enormous 300-pounder land on him.
“I get it. I get it. [I’m] not saying the ref was improper, however I’m simply saying that these conditions can have an effect on the sport tremendously.”
Almost everybody on the group shared Jones’ sentiment, pondering — like many others who watched the play — what else Jones may have accomplished to forestall the sack from being a penalty.
Head coach Andy Reid had already made his feelings known to officials on the sideline, so he did not need to get into it with reporters.
“I’m on a pair [league] committees there,” he famous, “so I perceive defending the quarterback is necessary. However there’s a tremendous line.”
In the meantime, quarterback Patrick Mahomes agreed together with his teammates — but additionally provided empathy for the officers.
“I imply it wasn’t the best name on the planet,” mentioned the quarterback, “however on the identical time, it’s a tough job they’ve: refereeing.
“It’s one thing the place — clearly you need to defend the gamers and every thing like that in all features of the sport — however on the identical time, there comes like a typical sense issue the place guys try to play soccer and making an attempt to win soccer video games. So at any time when it’s blatant and so they tried to do one thing soiled to attempt to damage somebody, you need to guarantee that’s referred to as — however on the identical time, you don’t need it to have an effect on the soccer sport and alter the result.”
Kansas Metropolis gamers mentioned that the penalty didn’t carry the group down. As an alternative, it gave them life — and energized the whole stadium.
Instantly following the Las Vegas possession, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense turned in a spectacular 17-second drive resulting in a discipline objective that narrowed the rating to 20-10 at halftime.
“We began off a little bit sluggish — and had some calls not go our manner,” mentioned tight finish Travis Kelce, who completed the sport with 4 landing receptions. “It acquired not solely us fired up, however that complete stadium fired up — and Arrowhead had our backs. So we simply rallied collectively and actually fought by that one.”
“I feel it energized the environment,” mentioned Chiefs security Justin Reid. “I feel it energized the group that we acquired one taken away from us — after which at that time, you simply acquired to band collectively and discover a manner.”
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