The Denver Broncos secured first place in the AFC West with a thrilling come-from-behind victory against the rival Kansas City Chiefs that required a goal-line stand.
After a 24-13 lead flipped to a 28-24 deficit in the fourth quarter, Patrick Mahomes took the Chiefs offense all the way down to the Broncos’ 1-yard line with 15 seconds remaining. On second-and-goal, Mahomes couldn’t find a receiver and threw the ball away. On third down, Kenneth Walker III was stuffed by JL Skinner — who made a fantastic tackle. That set up a fourth-and-1 for the game.
It appeared Mahomes hit Rashee Rice across the middle for the game-winning touchdown — but there was a flag on the field. The officials called a false start on right tackle Jaylon Moore. That moved the Chiefs five yards back to the 6-yard line, where Mahomes was sacked by Malcolm Roach to end the game.
This was a controversial penalty for a couple of different reasons. It looked like Moore shifted in his stance just a bit with 10 seconds remaining on the play clock. Then, he turned his head to the left. Which action drew the whistle?
In his postgame press conference, Chiefs coach Andy Reid was asked about the false start. He simply said he didn’t see it.
“I didn’t see it,” Reid said with a chuckle. “But that’s one man’s opinion. I saw him move his head, but I didn’t see a false start.”
Moore wasn’t sure if he committed a penalty either when speaking to reporters in the locker room.
“I mean I’ve got to go back and look at it, still haven’t got a chance to look at it,” Moore said. “But regardless, I’ve just got to be better.”
Moore’s alleged misstep wasn’t the only reason the Chiefs lost on Sunday. Earlier in the fourth quarter, when the Chiefs were up, 24-21, Mahomes took an avoidable sack on a third-and-2. Reid decided to send kicker Harrison Butker out to attempt a 54-yard field goal instead of punting the ball or going for it. Butker missed wide right, and the Broncos scored what ended up being the game-winning touchdown just two plays later.
The Chiefs have now lost two straight games following their 5-0 start. Sunday marked Mahomes’ third career loss when holding a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, including playoffs. He’s now 80-3 in those situations.
