Offsides penalty on Chiefs’ Dee Ford a pivotal moment in Patriots’ AFC title-game win
In a AFC Championship Game loaded with action, especially in the second half, the critical moment occurred while outside linebacker Dee Ford was standing still.
An offsides penalty against Ford late in the fourth quarter proved pivotal in the New England Patriots’ 37-31 overtime victory over the Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
Cornerback Charvarius Ward came up with a tipped interception on a third-and-10 from the Chiefs’ 34 with about 90 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Chiefs leading 28-24.
After playing from behind nearly the entire game, the Chiefs had their huge moment.
Except a flag was thrown to the field on the opposite side of the play. Ford had lined up in the neutral zone as the play unfolded.
No excuses from Ford, the fifth-year pro who was chosen to his first Pro Bowl this season.
“Execution trumps everything,” Ford said. “We’ve got to be better, me especially on that play. Every play counts.
“I’ve got to see the ball. In that time of the game and what was at stake, I’ve got to see the ball.”
Meaning, don’t line up in the neutral zone, and go on the snap — don’t try to get a jump on the play.
Instead of the Chiefs having the ball and forcing the Patriots to use timeouts, New England’s drive continued after the penalty and ended with Rex Burkhead’s 4-yard touchdown run with 39 seconds remaining.
The Chiefs managed to tie the score on Harrison Butker’s 39-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining.
But when the Patriots won the coin toss to start overtime, they marched down the field for a touchdown. With overtime rules, that ended the contest.
The game and the Chiefs’ season were over.
Inside linebacker Reggie Ragland said not to point the finger at Ford.
“Penalties happen all game,” Ragland said. “This game is not perfect at all. End of the day, we still had the opportunity to win. That play didn’t cause us to lose. I’m not going to fault anyone on this team. We win as a team, we lose as a team.”
Looking at the final stats, it was a miracle they were ever part of the game. New England held huge advantages in first downs (36-18), total yards (524-290) and time of possession (43:50-20:53). The Patriots became the first team to hold the Chiefs scoreless in the first half of a game this season as they took a 14-0 lead at halftime.
But KC quarterback Patrick Mahomes led a second-half surge. The Chiefs, as they did in a 43-40 loss at New England during the regular season, scored 31 second-half points.
Had Ward’s interception counted, the stats disparity wouldn’t have mattered. But in a game with many twists and turns, the biggest moment might have come when Ford lined up a few inches offsides.
The Patriots remained alive and cashed in. They’ll meet the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl in two weeks, while the Chiefs are left to ponder what might have happened without a critical penalty.
This story was originally published January 20, 2019 at 9:52 PM.