NBC announcers didn’t buy rules analyst’s explanation for Patrick Mahomes’ false start
This penalty came late in the Chiefs’ 22-9 victory over the Broncos on Sunday, and it had no impact on the game.
But it led to an unexpectedly funny moment.
With the Chiefs holding the ball and a 13-point lead with 2 minutes, 57 seconds to play in the game, Denver called a timeout. The Chiefs faced a third-and-13 play from the Broncos’ 41-yard line.
The Chiefs’ focus was burning the final 177 seconds off the clock, so they likely weren’t going to pass, even with quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the shotgun formation.
A hard count by Mahomes then appeared to draw a Broncos player offside.
If you missed what Mahomes did to draw a flag, you’re not alone. NBC Sports broadcasters Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth were baffled. And what followed was a comical 35 seconds from the “Sunday Night Football” coverage.
As the replay was shown, Michaels said: “Say what?”
Collinsworth followed by putting rules analyst Terry McAulay on the spot.
“C’mon Terry, tell me why that’s a penalty,” Collinsworth said in a joking manner. “Come on man, that’s your job.”
McAulay, a former referee who worked 20 years in the NFL, explained why that was indeed an infraction.
“The quarterback in the shotgun can’t abruptly, quick and abrupt, lift his arms up, and that’s kind of what he did there,” McAulay said. “It hasn’t been called in a long time. I used to call it all the time, Cris...”
Michaels interjected: “Really?!”
“Yes, I did. But they don’t want the quarterback to abruptly lift his arms unless the ball is snapped,” McAulay said.
Without missing a beat, Collinsworth said: “So it’s your fault.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2021 at 11:46 AM.
