Account
Patrick Mahomes' Fiancee Brittany Matthews: Chiefs 'Got Screwed' by Refs vs. Bengals
January 2, 2022
Patrick Mahomes' fiancee Brittany Matthews vented her frustration with the officiating in the Kansas City Chiefs' 34-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Matthews tweeted the Chiefs "just basically got screwed."
Kansas City was penalized 10 times for 83 yards, compared to five penalties for 62 yards for Cincinnati.
Fans are likely to feel particularly aggrieved about a pair of flags on L'Jarius Sneed that helped Cincinnati prolong drives.
The first came on third down to open the fourth quarter, when an incomplete pass from Joe Burrow would've meant Cincinnati punting from its own 21-yard line. The possession ended with a five-yard touchdown pass from Burrow to Tyler Boyd.
On 4th-and-goal inside the final minute, Sneed was whistled for illegal hands to the face, thus giving the Bengals a fresh set of downs. That allowed the home team to run down the clock leading up to Evan McPherson's game-winning field goal.
The referees also appeared to miss a false start by Cincinnati on 3rd-and-inches with 2:10 left in the game.
As much as the Chiefs may point to the officiating, they were the architects of their own demise at Paul Brown Stadium.
The defense surrendered 475 yards to the Bengals, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had no answer for Ja'Marr Chase. The rookie wide receiver caught 11 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns.
Seth Keysor @RealMNchiefsfanThis is especially bad when your front four is getting pressure consistently. Spagnuolo has done a wonderful job this year, but that was a spectacular tactical error.<br><br>Trust Jones/Clark/Ingram and put Thornill or Mathieu right there with Chase. Force someone else to do it.
Kansas City's offense, meanwhile, managed to put just three points on the board in the second half.
The Chiefs jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and had a 14-point cushion with 2:18 remaining in the first half. One would've expected them to hold onto that advantage with how well they've played in recent weeks.
Failing to see the win through could prove costly since the result allowed the Tennessee Titans to jump into the AFC's top seed.