KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Immediately after the Chiefs’ crushing Thanksgiving loss in Dallas, Chris Jones had an interesting take on the officiating.
“Just a bunch of penalties,” he said, “that we as a team, we got to fix what we can fix on that. We put ourselves back a lot today with the defensive penalties that were called today.”
Nov 2, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks with the referees during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
That’s just it: The Chiefs can only fix what they can fix. And when the officiating crew flags the most pass-interference calls in the second half against one team in any NFL game in the past 35 seasons, there’s not a lot Kansas City can fix.
It’s nothing new for Andy Reid, in his 27th year as an NFL head coach. There’s isn’t immediate gratification, but within those confines, there are things the Chiefs can do to constructively criticize officiating.
Nov 27, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) celebrates after catching a pass for a successful two-point conversion against Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson (35) during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Agreeing with calls is irrelevant
“The penalty situation,” Reid said Monday afternoon, “we got to make sure we take care of business with the penalties and keep working our fundamentals and techniques. And I’m not telling you I agree with all of them, or half of them, but I will tell you that they took place, and so we’re not going to use that as any kind of excuse.
“We’re going to work on getting better at what we do and can control so and then we’ll take it. Take it from there. I thought the effort was good.”
Nov 27, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) hurdles over Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) during the game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
But even with outstanding effort, some judgment calls – like each of Trent McDuffie’s three pass-interference penalties in the second half last week – are frustratingly gray areas. Reid said his goal in communicating disagreements is two-fold.
“They give you an opportunity to express yourself,” Reid said Monday. “And then, right or wrong, either we can learn from it, or they can learn from it and see where we’re at so we can continue to coach the guys in the right direction.
“You’re never going to agree with everything. You’re not going to do that. So, you try to express yourself, and then you move on. I mean, there’s nothing you can do. There’s never been a call that by me griping gets changed. But you just hope that between the two parties, you come together and you can figure out what it is, one, from a coaching standpoint, what I can tell my guys, and then, two, maybe it can help an official.”
Nov 27, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is seen before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Control the controllables and then…
None of those one-score losses are coming back, however. And that’s why Patrick Mahomes knows the Chiefs can only win when they control the controllables regarding penalties. And as the Chiefs embark on a win-each-week gauntlet, that’s all they can do.
“We got to be better at it,” Mahomes said after Thursday’s game. “And that’s the kind of stuff that we’ve done all year long, is you get penalties, you’re behind the sticks, and then you don’t get first downs. … It’s the penalties that usually hurt you at the end of the day.”
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