The New England Patriots got a few tough breaks due to officiating mistakes in the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14.
In the final moments of the third quarter, the officials called a Travis Kelce fumble dead, and said the tight end was down on the play. But Belichick challenged the play, which was ruled a fumble upon review. The problem was the officials ruled the play dead, and negated cornerback Stephon Gilmore’s return, which seemed likely to be a significant one — and perhaps even a touchdown.
But the Patriots got the ball at the spot of the fumble. They moved the ball downfield to the red zone, where N’Keal Harry had a 12-yard catch-and-run. The problem was that it was really a 15-yard touchdown. The officials called the play out of bounds at the 3-yard line. Because Belichick had used both of his challenges, he couldn’t get the officials to review it. So the Patriots had to take the play as it was. On the following plays, they couldn’t get into the end zone, and settled for a field goal.
Both plays seemed like a tough pill for Patriots fans to swallow. Here’s what New England fans and media members had to say on Twitter after the play.
