KC Chiefs get reprieve by replay in the fourth quarter

There was some confusion on the Chiefs’ last drive of Sunday’s 24-17 loss at Denver.

Quarterback Alex Smith appeared to be sacked and stripped of the ball by Denver’s DeMarcus Ware with less than 2 minutes to play.

But the replay official challenged the loose-ball recovery ruling, and it was determined Smith’s arm was going forward, and the call was reversed to an incomplete pass from the Denver 30.

“It’s so bang-bang, you have no idea what actually happens,” Smith said. “So we were fortunate there.”

The reprieve enabled the Chiefs to continue their drive to the 2 before they were stopped short of tying the game.

“They said his arm was moving forward,” said Ware, whose 118.5 career sacks rank No. 17 on the NFL’s all-time list. “I felt like I pinned it down and that’s what drove his arm forward. It wasn’t a forward momentum from him. It was a forward momentum from me knocking the ball out and making him fumble. But that’s what they called.”

This story was originally published September 14, 2014 at 10:36 PM with the headline "KC Chiefs get reprieve by replay in the fourth quarter."