NFL officials are still trying to deal with when to blow the whistle on dead plays, and that confusion benefited the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
With the Detroit Lions possessing the ball at the Chiefs’ 1-yard line in a 13-13 third quarter tie, running back Kerryon Johnson tried to reach toward the plane to score a touchdown as he was going down. The ball came free just before Johnson was down, and was picked up by Kansas City’s Bashaud Breeland.
The Lions acted as if the play was dead, and the officials came in to spot the ball. However, Breeland had it, and there was no whistle, allowing him to take it 100 yards for what was ruled a touchdown. The play was controversially held up on replay.
#Lions are shooting themselves in the foot all game long. Earlier Stafford fumbled in the redzone and now Kerryon Johnson did and it was returned 99 yards for a score. #Chiefs take the lead.pic.twitter.com/s1bHfLb1Oa
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 29, 2019
This is the same officiating crew that blew a major Week 2 moment by prematurely whistling dead a clear fumble that would have been a New Orleans touchdown. This is almost certainly the crew compensating for that by letting things play out and going back to the video, and it appeared they got it right. The Lions were rightly confused when the referees started going to spot the ball, but you’re taught to play to the whistle, and there never was one.
