Is it time to give the MVP award to a non-quarterback?
The Sports Seriously crew debates whether it's time to give the NFL's MVP award to a non-quarterback.
Sports seriously
Patrick Mahomes saw red on Sunday evening. And it wasn't the sea of fans at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback was visibly angry throws his helmet on the ground And Yelling at officers as time expired following his team's 20-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Mahomes was upset because wide receiver Kadarius Toney was flagged for offsides with 1:25 left on Kansas City's final drive of the game. The penalty negated a play by star tight end Travis Kelce, who caught a pass and then threw the ball to Toney, who ran for a touchdown. The score and extra point would have given the Chiefs a 24-20 lead and essentially won the game.
“It's obviously hard to take. Not just for me, but for football in general, when something like that is taken away from you, a guy like Travis who has a game like that. Who knows if we'll win? But as fans, I know, “You want to see how the guys on the field decide the game,” Mahomes told reporters after the game.
The sequence marked the second straight week in which the Chiefs found themselves at the center of a late-emerging officiating controversy. In the final minute of last week's 27-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was unable to throw a long pass when cornerback Carrington seemingly ran over Valentine's back made contact before the ball arrived, but he failed. Flag was not thrown. Kelce was touched on the back by a Packers defender as Mahomes threw a Hail Mary, but no penalty was called.
Mahomes said he finds it annoying when referees influence the outcome of multiple games.
“They are human beings. You make mistakes. We talk about something every week,” Mahomes said after another close game against Josh Allen and the Bills. “…It's the decision. Only in this moment. It's not even for myself or for myself. I know how much everyone puts into this game. For it to happen, a flag changes the outcome of the game.”
“At that moment, I had played for seven years and an offensive offside had never been called. This is in elementary school. We talk about it, you point at the referee, do all these different things and there's no whistle. If so.”, they warn you. There was no warning throughout the game. And then you wait until there's a minute left in the game to make a call like that? It's hard, man. I'm at a loss for words, it's just hard. Because whether we win or lose just to end up with another game, we're talking about the referees. That’s not what we want for the NFL and football.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid also expressed frustration with the penalty, echoing his quarterback's comments that referees typically issue a warning before calling an offside call.
“It’s a little embarrassing for the National Football League that this is happening,” he said. according to ESPN's Adam Teicher.
The Chiefs are now No. 3 in the AFC playoff rankings. They are one game ahead of the Denver Broncos in the AFC West after Russell Wilson defeated another division foe, the Los Angeles Chargers, 24-7. While he made three Super Bowl appearances, Mahomes has never played a postseason game on the road.