The Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35 on a last-second field goal, but judging by the reactions on social media, some NFL fans felt cheated.
Officials called holding on Eagles cornerback James Bradberry on a third-and-five incompletion with 1:48 left. That allowed the Chiefs to run off all but 11 seconds before Harrison Butker kicked the go-ahead field goal with eight seconds remaining.
Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said it was “100 percent” a hold by Bradberry on him.
Bradberry agreed that he held, but “I just didn’t know if he’d call it.”
“It was a holding,” Bradberry said, via Mike Giardi of NFL Media. “I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide.”
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni also wouldn’t blame the loss on the officials, instead crediting the Chiefs.
“You know it’s not my job to. . . .,” Sirianni said. “I mean you’ll see me on the sideline. I’m going to argue with different things of calls here and there, but it’s not my job to make the call. Those guys have got to do that in split-second scenarios. That’s what he saw, and he called it. I know it always appears to be that it’s one call that makes [the difference]. That’s not what it is. Right? That’s not what it is. There are so many plays that contribute to the end result of the game, and today they were better than we were.”