The Kansas City Chiefs had a shot at tying the game in the final moments of Sunday night’s tilt against the Green Bay Packers but the hail mary pass from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes knocked away and the Packers take home the 27-19 victory.
With the loss, the Chiefs fell to 8-4 on the season and fell behind the Miami Dolphins and the Baltimore Ravens atop the AFC standings as the playoffs loom.
The loss was capped by a chaotic end to the fourth, which saw an unnecessary roughness penalty, a fumble recovery that was overturned, an ejection and a controversial pass interference non-call during the final 1:09 for the Chiefs.
The non-call, which occurred when officials decided not to throw a flag for interference as Packers defensive back Carrington Valentine appeared to be draped over Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a deep pass from Mahomes on a 1st and 10 play at midfield, was a talking point following the game.
Valdes-Scantling said after the game he asked the official why there was no penalty saying – “He didn’t even acknowledge me”, according to ESPN’s Adam Teicher. “I was trying to get the ball and ended up on the ground. I don’t know what they saw, but I tried to catch it and didn’t have an opportunity.”
“Obviously, the guy was probably a little early, but at the end of the game, they’re letting guys play,” Mahomes said about the play. “I’m kind of about that. I rather you let the guys play and let the guys win on the field, but it’s hard.
“I can’t be wanting a flag. I have to try to go out there and win the game myself and with the rest of my teammates.”
Referee Brad Allen discussed the play in a pool report stating that “on every play where there may or may not be pass interference, either offensive or defensive, the covering official has to rule whether contact materially restricts the receiver. And in this case, the covering officials were in good position and ruled that there was no material restriction that rose to the level of defensive pass interference.”
Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco was ejected from the game and penalized 15 valuable yards for taking a swing at a Packers player, and despite the impact of his loss, Mahomes appreciated his fire.
“I love the fire from [Pacheco],” Mahomes said. “That gets us going as an offense. Obviously, you got a flag in this situation, but I mean we were already in a bad situation, so I mean I never want to take the passion away from a guy. He’ll learn from it. I’m sure he won’t make that mistake again, but that’s the stuff that we need on this team in order to have the success that we want to have.”
