A costly encroachment penalty in the AFC Championship Game? You’d think the Kansas City Chiefs would have learned their lesson last year.
During the second quarter of the Chiefs’ matchup against the Tennessee Titans at Arrowhead Stadium during the AFC title game, Kansas City committed a handful of costly penalties on the Titans’ preposterously long touchdown drive: 15 plays, 9:07 minutes and 75 yards. It wouldn’t have been possible without Chiefs’ defenders committing a handful of bone-headed errors.
On a third-and-7, defensive end Frank Clark committed an encroachment penalty, which made life easier for Ryan Tannehill, who then hit receiver Adam Humphries on the ensuing play. On a third-and-22 — a third-and-22! — cornerback Bashaud Breeland committed a defensive pass interference that gave the Titans a first down. They ground away the Chiefs on the following five plays, finally scoring a touchdown on a trick play, a play-action pass to tackle Dennis Kelly.
Because the Chiefs’ mistakes were so glaring, NFL fans and media members were deeply critical of Kansas City. Considering an encroachment penalty was essentially what held the Chiefs out of the Super Bowl last year, the criticism felt justified.
