Chiefs should blame themselves for loss, not officials

Following the loss, Mahomes and Reid claimed officials typically warn a team when an offensive player is offside, and the call determined the game's outcome. Still, their complaints ring hollow because it was a clear penalty.  

"When officiating the line of scrimmage, the general philosophy is not to be overly technical and split hairs over very minor infractions," former referee and CBS Sports analyst Gene Steratore wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "However, when an infraction is so egregious and obvious, a flag has to be thrown."

Plus, the Chiefs' receiving corps —which leads the league in drops (32), per Pro Football Reference — is their main problem, not bad calls. 

"Your receiver lined up offside, period," Smith said. "You're not catching the football. You're running the wrong routes, and on top of it all, you can't line up accurately. You know this if you Andy Reid. You know this if you Patrick Mahomes."

To be fair to Reid and Mahomes, Kansas City (8-5) has lost three of its last four games, leading to frustration. But they should hold the team accountable and tell it to correct mistakes. Otherwise, the Chiefs will keep finding ways to lose games and won't repeat as Super Bowl champions.