‘THAT’S a FUMBLE!’ ‘Can’t Say Refs Are Cheating for Chiefs Now!’ — Ex-NFL Players Lose It Over Controversial Ruling in Colts’ SNF Loss
· Yahoo Sports
Sunday Night Football delivered pure chaos. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Indianapolis Colts 33-30 in overtime, but the finish left plenty of people fuming, confused, or just plain stunned. Former NFL players were no exception.
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Former NFL Players Debate Laquon Treadwell’s Overtime Fumble Reversal
On the Indianapolis Colts’ first snap of overtime, after the Kansas City Chiefs had taken a 30-27 lead, Daniel Jones dropped back and went deep for Laquon Treadwell.
Treadwell bobbled the ball, fell to the ground, and somehow secured it. He got back up, but Nohl Williams, currently 15th in Pro Football Network’s Cornerback Impact Ratings, wasn’t done.
The Kansas City cornerback came from behind and punched the ball loose. The officials called it a fumble, Kansas City recovered, and it looked like a walk-off win. Except it wasn’t.
A lengthy replay review overturned the ruling. Officials ruled Treadwell down by contact before Williams knocked the ball loose, so Indianapolis kept possession.
The Colts then tied the game with a field goal. Kansas City ultimately won anyway, with Harrison Butker delivering the deciding kick. That reversal set off a wave of reactions from former players watching.
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Robert Griffin III was maybe the loudest voice in the room. His first reaction came fast and blunt: “That’s a fumble!”
The ex-Washington QB wasn’t done there either. Once officials overturned the ruling, Griffin couldn’t resist pointing out the irony, joking that “Y’all can’t say the refs are cheating for the Chiefs now!”
But his disbelief didn’t fade. Moments later, he added, “That’s the most unbelievable down-by-contact call I have ever seen!”
Other former players kept their reactions shorter but sounded just as stunned. Michael Thomas simply wrote, “[expletive], that was crazy. He fumbled,” capturing the initial shock before the reversal even came down.
Chase Daniel’s reaction needed no elaboration: “OMG!” Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs, offered his own one-word verdict: “Crazy.”
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Not everyone was ready to call it a blown call, though. Former Chiefs tackle Mitchell Schwartz took a more measured approach, suggesting there might have been more to the play than met the eye.
“It feels like Sneed touched the hip right as Treadwell got control. This will be fascinating,” he wrote, supporting the idea that Treadwell was down before the ball popped loose.
Fans also questioned an earlier officiating decision. Earlier in the game, Colts receiver Keenan Allen appeared to gain enough yardage for a first down, but officials ruled him short of the marker.
That decision drew its own round of criticism long before overtime chaos took over the conversation.
By the time Butker’s field goal sailed through in overtime, the final score almost felt like an afterthought compared to the officiating drama that came before it.
Fans and former players alike spent the night split down the middle, some defending the review process, others insisting Treadwell fumbled plain and simple.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.