The Kansas City Chiefs overhauled their offensive line this offseason after Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie left in free agency. Their biggest signing was Jawaan Taylor, the former Jacksonville Jaguars tackle.
Since the start of the season, Taylor has been in the spotlight, notably for how he lines up near the line of scrimmage and seemingly moves early on every snap. That was evident in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions and was flagged numerous times in Week 2 against the Jaguars. Then in Week 3, Taylor committed numerous penalties once again, two of which were for illegal formation.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes voiced their displeasure over the penalties being called on Taylor, feeling that he is being targeted by officials.
Chiefs fans who watched Monday Night Football had their eyes on Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson during their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Specifically, for allegedly committing false start penalties, but not getting called for them.
Lane Johnson under scrutiny for alleged false starts vs. Buccaneers
Somewhere, Chiefs fans threw their remote across the living room. Take a look at some of the reactions from those watching the game on social media, including from some Chiefs fans.
On Sunday afternoon, Taylor was flagged for two illegal formation penalties, one of which cost the Chiefs and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling a touchdown. With that, he has eight penalties on the season.
Reid was not happy with the referees regarding how they are penalizing Taylor. The Chiefs head coach said after the game, "I thought we were being picked on a little today… I thought it was too much." Then, Reid said on Monday that referees "better keep an eye on everyone else, too."
As for Mahomes, he brought up that both tackles were lined up in the same spot, yet Taylor got penalized. Much like Reid, Mahomes feels that Taylor is being picked on.
"It's wild to me," said Mahomes, h/t Sports Illustrated. "When you go back and look at the tablet and they're both (both tackles) in the exact same spot... I don't understand it. It's hard because he's playing great football and he's getting these penalties thrown on him. I know it's hard to officiate, but I watch a lot of tape and he's no deeper than any other tackle in the league. There's other guys that are even further back than he is. It's crazy to see — hopefully it kind of calms down as the season goes on. But I mean, he's making adjustments and it seems like even with his adjustments, they're not good enough, I guess."
We'll see if Taylor will shed his penalty issues in Week 4 on Sunday Night Football when they face the New York Jets. You best believe that Chiefs fans will have their eyes peeled on how other offensive tackles are lining up, and they'll bring it to the attention of social media.
