NFL fans are wildly claiming the league is rigged following a controversial incident in the season opener.
The Kansas City Chiefs saw off the Baltimore Ravens 27-20 in an exciting Thursday Night Football showdown.
Xavier Worthy scores a touchdown for the Chiefs on his first touch in the NFL[/caption]
Chiefs Steve Spagnuolo calls for a timeout during Thursday Night Football[/caption]
Spagnuolo returns to coach Andy Reid after his timeout request was granted – baffling many NFL fans[/caption]
Rookie wideout Xavier Worthy scored two touchdowns on debut as the defending Super Bowl champions won out at Arrowhead.
But it was an incident during the second quarter of the game that had fans raging against the officials.
The Ravens were in the red zone with 9 seconds left in the half, trailing 7-13 but pushing for a go-ahead touchdown.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was seen by TV cameras dashing down the sideline attempting to call a timeout.
He eventually got the attention of the official, who granted the timeout and stopped the game before the snap.
The pause allowed the Chiefs to regroup, forcing an important incompletion which meant the Ravens had to settle for a field goal.
Only NFL head coaches are allowed to call for a timeout, with former referee Terry McAulay baffled that the request was granted.
“[Spagnuolo] can’t do that,” the ex-NFL referee said on NBC’s broadcast.
“It has to be the head coach to come down.”
“Kansas City plays by a different set of NFL rules,” wrote one frustrated fan on X, alongside footage of the controversial moment.
“Listen. I don’t want to believe the NFL is rigged or plays favorites but this game on top of the entire last season solidifies without a doubt that the Chiefs have the refs/league on their side,” fumed another.
“Never been an ‘NFL is rigged’ person but between this and all the one sided calls….” commented a third.
“The NFL is the most rigged sport in America,” raged a fourth.
“I’m not a believer that the NFL is rigged,” countered a fifth.
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“But sometimes it feels like that slant the calls the Chiefs way. And in the NFL that’s enough to win close games.”
“Why is it always the Chiefs that get away with this?” sighed another.
Fans also fumed at several non-calls against Kansas City, with refs accused of missing false starts and illegal formations.
On the night, the Ravens finished with seven penalties for 64 yards.
The Chiefs ended the game with six penalties of their own.
Following the contest, Kansas City Star columnist Sam McDowell provided further context to the divisive incident.
He claimed Chiefs head coach Andy Reid had “called timeout first,” but hadn’t been seen on TV cameras.
“This video doesn’t provide the full context,” McDowell wrote on X, alongside the footage.
“Andy Reid called timeout first. The judge at the back pylon noticed Reid, and gave it to him.
“Spags didn’t spot that, and because the near ref had not seen Reid’s TO, Spags raced in, as seen here. But timeout had already been granted.”
