NFL Ref Defends Controversial Roughing the Passer Penalty on Chiefs' Chris Jones

Referee Carl Cheffers explained his decision to throw a controversial flag on Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones for roughing the passer during Monday night's game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Jones received the penalty in the second quarter with the Chiefs trailing 17-7 despite stripping the ball away from Raiders quarterback Derek Carr in the process of the sack. Kansas City came back to win the AFC West rivalry game, 30-29.

The call is the latest in a recent string of roughing-the-passer calls that drew the ire of defensive players and fans alike.

Jones argued it's time for those penalties to become part of the NFL's replay system because it's a critical play that can alter the course of a game.

"If we're going to continue to call roughing the passer at that high of a velocity, then we've got to be able to view in the booth to make sure because sometimes looks can be deceiving from the ref's point of view," the three-time Pro Bowler told reporters. "If the referee can get a second look, because it's happening so fast, maybe we can change [the penalty] because now it's getting absurd. A lot of these roughing-the-passer [penalties] would be called back. That's a momentum shift that could've affected us."

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who delayed his return to the locker room at halftime to have a discussion with Cheffers, refused to put himself in line for potential NFL punishment for public criticism of officials.

"You guys are trying to get me fined and I'm not gonna bite. I'm just not going there," Reid said. "He made the call he made."

In this case, it's somewhat of a moot point because Kansas City came back to win, but that call could have changed the entire game.

If no penalty is called, the Chiefs would have taken over possession at the Raiders' 42-yard line because of Jones' fumble recovery. Instead, Vegas retained the ball and scored a field goal on the drive to increase its lead to 20-7.

Reid's squad scored on its next four possessions to flip the game in its favor and got a late defensive stop to secure the victory.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes said the penalty helped spark the Chiefs' comeback.

"There was anger on how we played up until that point. ... These games are how you build the character of this team," Mahomes said.

Kansas City improved to 4-1 with the win, which is tied with the Buffalo Bills for the best record in the AFC.

The Bills and Chiefs face off at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday in one of the marquee games of the 2022 regular season.