Rules analyst says officials missed obvious calls in the Chiefs’ loss to Packers

It wasn’t that long ago that some NFL fans were complaining that the Chiefs get all the officials calls. All. The. Calls.

No one has been saying that lately, especially after the Raiders weren’t penalized a week ago in Las Vegas.

During Sunday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, Chiefs fans were lamenting two calls that went against Kansas City in a bonkers final minute.

The Chiefs lost 27-19 but they were hurt when a pass-interference call wasn’t made on Green Bay’s Carrington Valentine. He climbed on Chiefs receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling near the goal line.

“This is an obviously defensive pass interference,” NBC Sports rules analyst Terry McAulay said after the game. “You simply can’t play through the receiver’s back before the ball gets there. He does exactly that ... has to be a foul. Should have been called.”

On the final play of the game, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a Hail Mary pass, but Travis Kelce didn’t have a chance to make the catch. Here’s why:

“Generally there’s lots of bodies banging, everybody’s playing the ball, there’s not a foul when that happens,” McAulay said. “But when you have a two-handed shove in the back, it’s overt. You see Kelce lurch forward. ... It had to be the shove that sent him that way. I think, just like any other pass play, this is a foul for defensive pass-interference.”

That would have given the Chiefs the ball at the 1-yard line with a chance to run an untimed play. But it wasn’t called. Nor was the one that denied Valdes-Scantling a chance to catch the ball.

To be fair, the Chiefs appeared to catch a break earlier in the drive when an unnecessary roughness penalty was called on the Packers following a Mahomes run.

The NFL Network’s Rich Eisen called it a “brutal” final minute for the officials and few would disagree.

Earlier calls

Mahomes appeared to have picked up a first down with a run to the Packers’ 1-yard line in the second quarter. But center Creed Humphrey was called for holding, a penalty that many criticized, including former Chiefs tackle Mitchell Schwartz.

Rather than be on the doorstep of the end zone, the Chiefs settled for a field goal.

Just as big was the missed call that came on a critical fourth-down play for the Packers in the third quarter.

Green Bay had a fourth-and-1 play from the Chiefs’ 44-yard line when quarterback Jordan Love dropped a perfect pass to Romeo Doubs for a 33-yard gain.

Many Chiefs fans noted a penalty should have been called as tackle Rasheed Walker’s hands were on the facemask of Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna.

Had the flag been thrown, the Packers would have punted. Instead, they ended up scoring a touchdown on the drive.