Apex Scores Lite Apex Scores Lite flag
back Back
‘He Did Flinch, It’s Clear as Day’ — Bengals Legend Goes Right The Other Way After Brittany Mahomes Accuses NFL Refs of Bias Against Chiefs
Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Brittany Mahomes on the sidelines before the AFC Championship gameagainst the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Brittany Mahomes on the sidelines before the AFC Championship gameagainst the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Patrick Mahomes’ wife, Brittany, and Cincinnati Bengals legend Chad Johnson came away with very different verdicts on the same goal-line flag.

On “Nightcap,” the podcast he co-hosts with Shannon Sharpe, Johnson backed the false start call on Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jaylon Moore that erased a go-ahead touchdown in the Chiefs’ 28-24 loss to the Denver Broncos on Nov. 1.

Chad Johnson Disagrees With Brittany Mahomes Over Controversial Chiefs Flag

Trailing by four, the Chiefs took over at their own 44 and drove to fourth-and-goal from the 1. With four seconds left, Mahomes hit Rashee Rice for what would have been the winning score. But Moore was flagged, and the touchdown came off the board.

Instead of moving to 6-1, the Chiefs fell to 5-2, behind the 6-2 Broncos in the AFC West.

Brittany Mahomes criticized the call that night in an Instagram story, taking aim at the officials who threw the flag on what would have been her husband’s game-winning touchdown.

As her remarks sparked debate, Sharpe brought up her Instagram story on “Nightcap” and asked Johnson whether Moore had committed a false start. “Brittany Mahomes was not happy, and she posted it…. No bias here. Do you believe? Did he false start?” Sharpe asked.

Johnson replied, “I saw the replay. He flinched. That’s a false start.”

But his verdict came with a caveat about the spot officials are in when a game rides on one snap. “Now listen, as a referee, what you can do in that situation is you don’t want the game to end like that. You don’t have to call it because it was a minor flinch, but he did flinch. It’s clear as day.”

“He was trying to get a jump before the D-end went. He tried to get a jump on the snap. He flinched,” Ocho concluded.

Sharpe agreed and explained the rule from a lineman’s side of the ball: “Once an offensive lineman gets set, once he gets in his stance, he’s done. He can’t move. It’s not like a wide receiver or somebody.”

Earlier, Patrick Mahomes addressed the flag when he met reporters after the game. “I have not seen it, but it didn’t surprise me or catch me or anything like that, so it couldn’t have been big, but it was called… I mean, at the end of the day, you have to go with whatever is called, but a lot of times in those big moments, the little stuff doesn’t get called like that.”

Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who also spoke to reporters after the game, admitted, “I didn’t see it… I saw him move his head.”

Travis Kelce, though, landed where Johnson did, right down to the word. Talking through the play with his brother Jason on their “New Heights” podcast, the Chiefs tight end said simply, “Yeah, he flinches.”

Whatever the verdict on Moore’s movement, the flag was one of a season-high 11 penalties for 105 yards against Kansas City in Denver.

You may like

R Mason Thomas vents frustration over the Chiefs' sack struggles

aol.com 1 hour ago

What NFL games are on TV this week? NFL Week 9 TV schedule

aol.com 2 hours ago

Falcons vs. Bengals: 4 matchups Atlanta must win in Madrid

aol.com 2 hours ago

3 Matchups That Will Decide Jets’ Week 9 Game Against Chiefs

si.com 2 hours ago

Marvin Mims says unsung hero has been Broncos’ ‘best player’

aol.com 2 hours ago

Giants Mailbag: Trade Winds, Deonte Banks, Game Stuff and More

si.com 1 hour ago

Report: Colts with trade offer on the table for WR Josh Downs

aol.com 1 hour ago

Biggest storylines for Panthers vs. Broncos in Week 9

aol.com 1 hour ago

Braden Atkinson & Jesse Legree Highlight Week 10 College Fantasy Football Starts

si.com 37 minutes ago

ESPN proposes hypothetical Colts-Vikings Jonathan Taylor trade

aol.com 1 hour ago