The Green Bay Packers ended up winning Sunday night’s clash against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, but there has been plenty of chatter about the officiating that could have changed the outcome of the game.
Despite a few questionable calls — one coming on the final drive of the game as the Chiefs attempted to reach the end zone and tie the game with less than a minute on the clock — the Pack came out with a critical victory.
It feels like head coach Matt LaFleuer — who holds a perfect record in the month of December — has his team surging at the right time.
Statistically, the final numbers were fairly even. The Packers posted 382 yards of total offense, while Kansas City finished with 337. Green Bay QB Jordan Love simply outplayed Patrick Mahomes, throwing for 267 yards , three touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Kansas City signal caller finished the night with 210 yards, one touchdown and one interception that could have been the difference in the outcome.
Green Bay Packers Coach Defends Late Penalty On Jonathan Owens
One of the most controversial moments as the Chiefs attempted to pull off a comeback within the final minute came on a 2nd-and-10 where Patrick Mahomes used his legs to sprint toward the first down marker.
Just before Mahomes reached the sideline, Packers’ safety Jonathan Owens delivered a clean, shoulder to shoulder hit on the Kansas City QB, knocking him out of bounds.
Here’s one of the best versions of the video for you to judge for yourself.
TERRIBLE penalty. Mahomes was still fair game #NFL pic.twitter.com/2cZqL8GLXT
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) December 4, 2023
Remember Mahomes was a runner — just like any other player in this situation — yet the referee threw a late flag for unnecessary roughness — tacking on an extra 15 yards for the Chiefs.
When asked about the play, Green Bay Packers front man Matt LaFleur stood by his player’s decision and called the play “fair game.”
“If they’re in the field of play, you’ve got to hit the guy,” LaFleur added. “So I think JO did his job on that play. We’re going to keep coaching it the same way.”
Matt LaFleur says Patrick Mahomes was "fair game" when Jonathan Owens hit him inbounds on final drive last night, drawing a penalty: "If they're in the field of play, you've got to hit the guy. So I think JO did his job on that play. We're going to keep coaching it the same way."
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) December 4, 2023
When asked about the call after the game, head referee Brad Allen defended the call according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
“The covering official believed that the defender made late and unnecessary contact on the quarterback,” said referee Brad Allen, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “So that was the call for unnecessary roughness.”
When pressed on the decision, Allen said that “the covering official was certain that the call had been made correctly” after internal discussions.
Former NFL Referee Agreed With LaFleur
Plenty of people with no tie to the Green Bay Packers thought the call was blatantly bad.
A CBS news piece pointed out that the officials closest to the play didn’t throw a flag.
Instead, field judge Rick Patterson came in from a long way up the sideline to confidently tell Allen the hit was delivered late and Mahomes was out of bounds.
But one of the most stunning parts of the whole deal was Allen’s announcement in front of the raucous crowd at Lambeau Field.
“After the play was over, personal foul, unnecessary roughness, defense, number 34. Fifteen yards, automatic first down.”
The “after the play” part made absolutely no sense as the hit clearly took place in the middle of an active play.
NBC’s rules analyst Terry McAulay summed it up perfectly.
“Cris, this is absolutely not a foul,” McAulay said. “The competition committee, two years in a row, has talked about points of emphasis, points of clarification. If he’s trying to gain yardage, he’s gotta get himself out of bounds. He didn’t. He’s in bounds. This is not a personal foul. Should not have been called.”
Fortunately, the call didn’t affect the outcome for the Green Bay Packers, but the NFL has a major officiating problem.
