"I’m not always going to agree with the call, but the calls were made." Andy Reid wasn't happy with the way the Thanksgiving game unfolded. And Reid is not alone in his displeasure.

The Cowboys vs Chiefs Thanksgiving game has been under scrutiny because the experts felt that the referees gave too many decisions in favour of the home team, the Cowboys. 

Former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky took to X to express his frustration over this, posting, “The officiating has been very very one sided for Dallas so far.”

Take the final drive for instance. Against Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie was called for defensive pass interference when Lamb completed a 11 yard grab. It ended with a game-sealing first down. That's why it's no surprise that Orlovsky wasn't alone.

Even Chase Daniels chimed on X, saying, “It’s almost like the officiating is trying to prove the national narrative wrong that the Chiefs get all the calls….in front of probably 50 Million people”.

In another instance, Pickens took off his helmet. What should have been a 15-yard penalty, and something Dallas fans expected. Yet, Pickens walked away without a fine. In Pickens' defense, he appeared to be dealing with some discomfort after taking a hit to his head.

One fan even went as far as calling it 'cheating'. "This is THE most watched game ever(regular season) and the refs are flat out cheating. Idk how to even put it. Like I’ve never seen THIS," they wrote on X.

“We’re having too many penalties, and we’ve got to make sure we take care of that,” Andy Reid said. “Both sides of the ball: to get off the field on third downs and to stay on the field offensively.”

Chiefs Players Know They Have a Penalty Problem

And in addition to the coach, two players acknowledged the penalties were big setbacks. "We’ve got these next five to six games that are going to be very critical for us as a team," Defensive tackle Chris Jones said.

He was joined by Patrick Mahomes, who said, "Penalties killed some drives. You get behind the sticks, and then you don’t get first downs."

With their next game against the Texans, it's make-or-break for the Chiefs. What do you think? Were the penalties justified? 

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar