TJ Houshmandzadeh, a former star of the Cincinnati Bengals, criticized the referees following the team's close loss, stating that the calls made were "terrible."
The Bengals lost to the Chiefs in the final seconds.
On Sunday, the officials in the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals faced criticism for their costly penalties and potential missed calls.
The Chiefs won 26-25 after a pass interference penalty extended their game-winning drive. NFL observers and Bengals fans alike noted other missed calls throughout the game.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a former Bengals star wide receiver, seemed upset and mentioned the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Ja’Marr Chase.
"Refs miss a big call and throw a flag on Chase, resulting in player fines. Despite making terrible calls, refs go unpunished," Houshmandzadeh wrote on X.
Why play the game if we know the results beforehand and give every game to the Chiefs with refs in their favor for the rest of the season?
"Let's see if the call is made for other teams when it's 4th & long."
When Joe Burrow found Chase for a 4-yard completion at the Chiefs’ 34-yard line, Chase couldn't help but give referee Alex Kemp an earful about the tackle from Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie as he got back up to head to the huddle.
The penalty halted the Bengals' momentum and led to an Evan McPherson field goal.
The possibility of getting six, seven, or eight points was enormous. The Chiefs eventually marched down the field and set up Harrison Butker for the game-winning field goal.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Kemp stated that officials informed Chase they didn't believe McDuffie's tackle was a hip-drop, which would have led to a penalty.
"The reasoning for the penalty was straightforward, as he stated. It was nothing more than abusive language directed at a game official. There was no ambiguity or interpretation involved. I won't repeat the specific language he used, but it was clearly abusive."
Kemp pointed out why Chase’s words crossed the line with him.
"Kemp stated that the boundary between profanity used by grown men and direct, personal abusive language toward a game official has been crossed, and this cannot be tolerated in professional football."
On the sideline, head coach Zac Taylor attempted to console an agitated Chase, who had slammed his helmet onto the ground in anger.
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