Chiefs’ Kadarius Toney Didn’t Ask Officials If He Was Lined Up Properly Prior to Pivotal Penalty

Kansas City coach Andy Reid said he’d make this a coaching point.

After some scathing remarks for officials on Sunday night after a controversial offsides penalty on Kadarius Toney, Chiefs coach Andy Reid acknowledged that the wideout did not ask officials if he was correctly lined up during the pivotal play. 

The flag negated an almost all-time play after Travis Kelce caught a pass for a first down and lateraled it to Toney for what could have been the game-winning touchdown with his team down 20–17 against the Bills in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.  

When speaking to reporters afterward, Reid called it “embarrassing” for the NFL that Toney wasn’t warned that he was offsides. The coach changed his tune a bit Monday afternoon when he revealed that Toney didn’t bother to check if he was lined up correctly. 

Officials are under no obligation to tell players that they are offsides before the ball is snapped, but it is common practice for players to ask if they’re lined up correctly beforehand. 

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid confirmed that Kadarius Toney did not check with the official to see if he was lined up correctly.

Reid says they will teach Toney to make sure to do that moving forward.

(via @Chiefs)pic.twitter.com/s5j1C8Q0aa https://t.co/rkgKuOqVCB

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 11, 2023

“Normally, he [Toney] looks over at the sideline and just gets an O.K.,” Reid told reporters Monday. “And, on that one, he just happened not to. So, that’d be the coaching point… just make sure you check with the guy on the side just to see if you’re aligned.” 

In a pool report after the game, referee Carl Cheffers explained why Toney wasn’t warned beforehand.

“Yes, ultimately, if they look for alignment advice, certainly we are going to give it to them. But ultimately, they are responsible for wherever they line up,” Cheffers said. “And, certainly, no warning is required, especially if they are lined up so far offsides where they’re actually blocking our view of the ball.

“So, we would give them some sort of warning if it was anywhere close, but this particular one is beyond warning,” Cheffers continued. 

Oh my God, Travis Kelce tossed it to Kadarius Toney, who goes in for the go-ahead touchdown, BUT Toney was offsides on the play.pic.twitter.com/BrdrF6SmBH

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 11, 2023

Toney was clearly lined up past the line of scrimmage, but both Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes were quick to go after the officials after the game. Mahomes was seen yelling relentlessly at an official before the game finished and mics caught him still complaining when shaking hands at midfield—even when greeting quarterback Josh Allen.

Both Toney’s error and Kansas City’s handling of the situation evoked quite a reaction online with fans ripping the team on both fronts. The loss dropped the Chiefs down to 8–5, while Buffalo improved to 7–6 to keep its playoff hopes alive.