The Chiefs matchup against the Bills a couple of weeks ago ended in controversy when the ref’s offside call denied Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney a last-minute game-clinching TD. However, the same officiating crew seemingly gave the Broncos a free pass.
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The Orange Crush faced the Patriots on Sunday when star WR Jerry Jeudy was caught on camera stepping way beyond the line of scrimmage. The Chiefs Nation couldn’t help but call out the officiating crew for the ambiguity. This occurred in the 2nd quarter when the Broncos quickly lined up just so they could snap the ball. Jeudy, lined up on the left side of the offensive line, was caught standing at least a foot beyond the neutral zone.
INSANE: No offsides call here from the #NFL refs on the #Broncos.
It is the same crew that called the offsides penalty on #Chiefs Kadarius Toney.
( @JBside13) pic.twitter.com/zpiqxzKvJW
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) December 25, 2023
He appeared to ask the sideline ref about his starting position, but before the ref could signal anything, the ball was snapped, and then the kicker was brought in to attempt a 57-yard field goal. However, it’s worth noting that, unlike Toney, Jerry didn’t touch the ball. The Broncos even ended up missing the field goal. However, the Chiefs WR was offside by the slightest of margins when compared to Denver’s WR.
Nonetheless, this was still enough fuel for the Chiefs fans, who took to social media to complain about the inconsistent nature of offside calls in the league. As this matchup was monitored by the same crew, fans were quick to call the officials out.
Chiefs Nation Demand Justice
The same crew that officiated the Chief’s loss against the Bills interestingly took the field in black & white for the Broncos-Patriots game. During the game, the refs failed to acknowledge a clear offside infraction by Denver’s Jerry Jeudy. This was enough fodder for already angry Chiefs fans who tore into NFL officials and their ambiguous calls.
Fans were up in arms on X. They said-
That ref had the Bills money line!
— Tuan (@thtdgf) December 25, 2023
One fan said, “That ref had the Bills money line ! “.
Another one wrote, “So Pat Mahomes and Reid’s anger was justified. Nice.”
A fan chimed in, “Was this not called ??!! “.
A user commented “Cheffers should be arrested.”
Another stated, “Toneys was ” egregious enough” with his foot on the line, meanwhile this no-call is nearly a whole yard ahead it looks like? officiating especially this season is an absolute joke.”
Hey @NFLOfficiating, y’all might want to talk to your Cheffers crew. This is even worse than Toney’s call
— Charles Ford (@CharlieFord324) December 25, 2023
A fan tweeted, “Hey @NFL officiating, y’all might want to talk to your Cheffers crew. This is even worse than Toney’s call.”
While others wrote, “Ever since Kelce rightfully called Cheffers a foot locker reject, he has had it out for the Chiefs.”
While Cheffers & crew escaped without scrutiny or punishment, Travis Kelce was once fined for criticizing referee Carl Cheffers back in 2017. Kelce called out the ref for a holding penalty on LT Eric Fisher after the 2017 AFC Divisional Round loss against the Steelers. He was fined $12,500 for his comments and an additional $9,115 for his unnecessary roughness penalty. Travis had said,
“Referee No. 51 shouldn’t even be able to wear a zebra jersey ever again. He shouldn’t even be able to work at f–king Foot Locker,” as reported by the Bleacher Report.
Despite no offside call, the Broncos went on the loose the game, courtesy of a last-minute field goal by the Patriots. They now only have a 4% chance of making the playoffs, as per the New York Times. The loss proved beneficial for their divisional rivals, Kansas. With just a single win, they can confirm their spot in the postseason.
