The Kansas City Chiefs were livid over an offensive offsides call that wiped out a potential game-winning touchdown in Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. A day later, however, coach Andy Reid was already moderating his tone a bit by making a significant admission.
Reid admitted to reporters Monday that wide receiver Kadarius Toney had not actually looked up to check with an official whether or not he was lined up onside. The Chiefs coach admitted that it would be a “coaching point.”
Reid admits Toney did not check with the official:
(via @Chiefs) pic.twitter.com/1rgRkfdv3C
— Ari M (@AriMeirov) December 11, 2023
“Normally, he looks up to the sideline and just gets an OK. On that one, he just happened not to,” Reid said. “That would be the coaching point — make sure you check with the guy on the side just to see if you’re in line.
“He was two inches or an inch away from being legal. … I guess the league’s trying to clean that up.”
Reid had called the flag “embarrassing” after the game, arguing that it was typical for him to get a warning from officials when a player is lined up offside. This is essentially an admission that even if the Chiefs had received the warning — which, to be clear, they were not owed — Toney was not paying attention and may not have even received it.
Reid’s admission is backed up by All-22 footage, which not only showed just how far offside Toney was, but indicated that he made no effort to confirm that he was lined up correctly. One has to wonder if the Chiefs might feel a little embarrassed that they got so angry over all this when it is very clear at this point that the only error on the play was Toney’s.
