Patrick Mahomes became the NFL’s best player not just because of his talent. He also has a reputation for maintaining his composure and being the coolest customer in the fourth quarter. So when he starts showing more fury and emotion, it’s a bit jarring. Take what happened during the Kansas City Chiefs’ 20-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. After the Chiefs’ struggled for most of the afternoon, an incredible Travis Kelce lateral should’ve led to a game-winning score for Kansas City.
Unfortunately, Kadarius Toney lined up in the neutral zone before the play, wiping out what would’ve been a very memorable moment for the Chiefs. When Kansas City’s offense eventually sputtered out in defeat, a heated Mahomes started giving the referees a piece of his mind. To say he was unhappy would be an understatement:
Patrick Mahomes very emotional on the sidelines. pic.twitter.com/nkq3kIvDqa
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 11, 2023
Patrick Mahomes was NOT happy on the sideline pic.twitter.com/kFdVMF7PrM
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) December 11, 2023
Some believe that Mahomes’ reaction was borne out of inconsistency with the officiating after Von Miller seemingly jumped offsides on the key final third down:
Mahomes was likely mad because Kadarius Toney had his touchdown negated but Von Miller got away with this clear offsides on the final play. #BillsMafia
Kingsley Jonathan > Von Miller
He shouldn’t have been on the field.
The #Bills coaches need to take a stand. pic.twitter.com/Q58EMcloqy— Air Raid | Buffalo (@TheBillsGuys) December 11, 2023
Mahomes is in the heat of the moment after his team suffered another disappointing loss. That said, the call on Toney was absolutely right. Even if his positioning had no impact on the play, you still can’t do that. It might feel like a ticky-tack call, but there’s a reason it’s in the rule book in the first place. If Miller was indeed offsides that’s … a different story.
Mahomes’ Chiefs have now lost three of their last four games. The defending Super Bowl champions look like shells of themselves, especially on offense. Maybe that’s what Mahomes is much more upset about.
