NFL Rules Analyst Stands By Controversial Kadarius Toney Penalty

Sunday’s AFC battle between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs may now be remembered for a specific flag thrown by an NFL referee, the job Gene Steratore once held.

The now-NFL rules analyst for CBS Sports analyzed the offensive offsides penalty called on Kansas City wide receiver Kadarius Toney that wiped away a miraculous touchdown off of a lateral from Travis Kelce. The Bills ultimately beat the Chiefs in a 20-17 win.

Given the rare nature of the call, the former NFL referee offered a more detailed explanation as to why the flag was thrown.

“When officiating the line of scrimmage, general philosophy is not to be overly technical and split hairs over very minor infractions (such as a receiver’s hand slightly breaking the LOS),” Steratore shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. “However, when an infraction is so egregious and obvious, a flag has to be thrown. Kadarius Toney is blatantly lined up offside and in the neutral zone. You rarely see an offsides penalty on the offense, but that is not because this play in “BUFvsKC” isn’t a foul. It is because a receiver rarely lines up offsides.”

Though having a wideout offsides is rare, Steratore made it clear that the officiating crew made the right call in one of the game’s most important spots.

The Chiefs fell to 8-5 before battling the New England Patriots in Week 15.