A fresh camera perspective from the Kansas City Chiefs’ Monday night game against the New Orleans Saints depicts Patrick Mahomes eluding a flagrantly unsportsmanlike penalty.
Against a stout New Orleans defense, Patrick Mahomes had a great day as he completed 28 passes for 331 yards to help the Chiefs win 26–13. Since Mahomes assumed quarterback duties in 2018, Kansas City has achieved its first 5-0 start.
Is this allowed? Patrick Mahomes – pointing first down or ready to shoot? So many looking like this! #SNF #Confusing pic.twitter.com/NBMXcfqkWG
— Connie Carberg (@ConnieScouts) October 8, 2024
Without a doubt, Mahomes and the Chiefs were the superior club throughout on both sides of the ball. However, the three-time Super Bowl winner also benefited from a terrible missed call by the NFL officials, who have already faced a great deal of criticism to start the season.
Players who celebrate with bows and arrows and other weapon-related gestures are facing harsh penalties from the NFL. A player faces a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty if they engage in such behavior.
After a first-down run last night, Patrick Mahomes did just that, and the referees failed to see what may have been a game-changing call:
This is just another annoying example of how NFL referees don’t consistently call penalties correctly. This is not a “judgment” call from Mahomes. It’s a flagrant infraction of the league’s celebration/teasing policies.
Week 6 will find the Chiefs on the bye. On October 20, they will play a rematch of Super Bowl 58 on the road against the San Francisco 49ers.
Rashee Rice will be sidelined for the remainder of the season for Kansas City, while Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is unlikely to play again until the postseason (if he’s approved to play by then). Isiah Pacheco, the team’s star running back, is also out due to a fractured fibula, and Kansas City’s offense has struggled this season.
However, the Chiefs manage to win games inexplicably. The defense continues to perform well, and in the wake of Rice’s injury, the Mahomes-Travis Kelce connection has begun to click.