The Kansas City Chiefs played in a primetime game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night (September 22), and the game ended in a bit of a controversy.
The Falcons drove the ball down to the end zone with the clock running out, and quarterback Kirk Cousins tried to pass the ball to tight end Kyle Pitts to score 6 points. However, it appeared as if Chiefs safety Bryan Cook might have committed defensive pass interference, which is a penalty. The referees in the game did NOT make this call, and thus, the Falcons ended up losing the game. Had defensive pass interference been called, the Falcons would have been given a “fresh set of downs” – aka, they would have had more opportunities to score, and potentially, win the game. Instead, the score remained 22-17, and the Chiefs got the ball back.
The Chiefs ended up winning, but Falcons fans are not happy that it does appear that Bryan Cook should have been been called for pass interference.
Referee Tra Blake was asked about the non-call decision, sharing, “That is a real-time call that officials have to make a judgment on. From the angle that they had at the time, they did not feel there was a foul committed. We do the best we can to make that decision.”
Falcons coach Raheem Morris was asked about the non-call, and he said, “I like my money. I like my money that [Falcons team owner] Arthur Blank gives me. I’m very smart enough to be aware enough to talk about officials. They made the call or they didn’t make the call, it is what it is. We had a chance to win the football game on the last play of the game.”
There is a belief that Chiefs often get game winning calls made in their direction, and some fans have progressed this narrative over the years. The NFL has not directly responded to these claims.
