Andy Reid had a gripe about the game-changing offsides call on Chiefs defensive end Dee Ford in Kansas City’s AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots.
With the Chiefs up four with under a minute to play, Tom Brady was picked off by Charvarius Ward, seemingly giving the Chiefs the AFC title. But Ford lined up in the neutral zone, and the officials threw the flag, giving New England new life.
After the game, Reid lamented the fact officials didn’t let Ford know he was lined up offsides before the ball was snapped.
“Normally, you’re warned and the coaches are warned if somebody is doing that before they throw it in a game of that magnitude,” Reid told reporters. “But they did. And he didn’t waste any time doing it. He didn’t wait until the interception to throw it. He had his hand on the flag right from the get go and he saw it from his angle and he thought it was the call.”
So does Reid have a point?
Not if you ask former NFL referee and Supervisor of Officials Jim Daopoulos, who went on NBC Sports Boston’s “Quick Slants” on Monday and explained why Reid doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
“In the first quarter or the first couple of minutes of the game if the defensive end is lined up offsides, absolutely, they’ll give him a warning,” Daopoulos said. “But at that point in the game, late in the game, absolutely not. You know, you just can’t warn these guys every time because they’re going to encroach it whenever they can. So early on, yes. At that point, absolutely not.”
Sorry, Andy.
The Patriots pulled out a 37-31 victory in overtime to advance to Super Bowl LIII where they’ll play the Los Angeles Rams on Feb. 3 in Atlanta, Ga.
