NFL officials have been under fire all year long — and now one crucial and incredibly divisive call has decided to win the Super Bowl.
With less than two minutes left in the game, Kansas City was driving at a par 35, with Patrick Mahomes making an excellent comeback despite an injured ankle.
They appeared to force a field goal after a fourth-down stop before a late penalty kick flag was thrown, and Philadelphia cornerback James Bradbury called for Jojo Smith-Schuster to be retained in Kansas City.
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Replays immediately showed that Bradbury had barely made contact with the ex-Steller – although both men agreed the incident had occurred.
“Yes, absolutely. 100%,” Smith-Schuster said after the game when asked if he was being held.
“Bradbury is a good player, but you will be called.”
“It was a contract,” Bradbury said. “I pulled his shirt off. I was hoping they’d let it slide.”
However, given how little the incident seemed to come from the fans, who were already furious after the Chiefs’ controversial AFC Championship game win over Cincinnati, were furious — even the neutrals watching one of the greatest Super Bowls up to that point .
The first automatic touchdown allowed the Chiefs to come off the drive and kick a Harrison Butker field goal with eight seconds left, with Philly unable to do anything from their last ditch Hail Mary.
Ironically, the controversial call came just days after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell claimed “For us, when you look at management, I don’t think he’s ever done better in the league.”
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At best, the decision was borderline correct but not something anyone would expect to be called in the final minutes of a tied Super Bowl.
At worst, I decided wrong the whole season.
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