In the Week 2 clash, the Kansas City Chiefs narrowly defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 26-25–all thanks to Harrison Butker’s 51-yard field goal as the clock ran out. The game was filled with excitement as five second-half lead changes left the fans on the edge of their seats. While the Chiefs won, Chad Johnson felt that referees may have influenced the final outcome.
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During the latest episode of Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe, Johnson didn’t hold back at all when Sharpe opened the discussion about the Chiefs beating the Bengals 26-25.
The former NFL wide receiver immediately interjected saying, “Let’s put an asterisk by that and say the refs helped too.”
The talk went on with Johnson reaffirming his stance that the Bengals faced unfair penalties in key situations and highlighted a pattern he has observed over time, saying,
“Always at the end of the game when it matters most that a flag gets thrown.”
He brought up the pass interference call, during the game’s closing seconds–a foul that prolonged the Chiefs’ drive and arranged for Butker’s kick. As per Ocho, the poor Bengals once again faced setbacks due to ill-timed penalties that changed the course of the game.
Johnson took it a step further by elaborating on why he believed the Chiefs weren’t worthy of the win–citing how the Kansas City failed to meet their past two years’ performance. For instance, Patrick Mahomes’ underwhelming performance during the game–throwing for just 151 yards and committing two turnovers.
According to Johnson’s argument, despite some errors made by the Bengals, they performed enough to secure a win and would have done so if not for the questionable officiating.
This is not the first time NFL referees have been criticized for being biased towards the Chiefs. In last year’s AFC Championship, Bengals fans had also pointed fingers at referees saying how the Chiefs’ victory was aided by them.
