Officials appeared to miss Chiefs holding penalty on game-changing play

The Cincinnati Bengals essentially handed the Kansas City Chiefs a game-winning field goal on Sunday when they were called for a late hit out of bounds, but the Chiefs may have gotten away with a crucial penalty of their own on the same play.

The Chiefs had a third-and-four at the Cincinnati 47 with 17 seconds left and the AFC Championship Game tied 20-20. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes scrambled to his right after being pressured. Not only did he pick up the first down and go out of bounds, but he also drew a penalty for a late hit by Joseph Ossai (video here).

That penalty occurred with eight seconds left. The 15-yard penalty gave the Chiefs the ball at the Cincinnati 27, putting the Chiefs in field goal range. On the next play, Harrison Butker nailed a 45-yard field goal with three seconds left that put the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs also appeared to get away with a hold on the play. Trey Smith was beaten by Trey Hendrickson and appeared to hold the Bengals pass-rusher, which allowed Mahomes to step up in the pocket and then scramble for the first down.