Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor got away with a litany of false starts on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions.
Of course, we understand the NFL's prerogative here. Kansas City is defending its Super Bowl title -- its second in three years -- and Thursday marked their banner reveal at a packed Arrowhead Stadium. Nonetheless, letting Taylor get away with THIS many false starts is a little much.
In fact, Taylor's early movement was so bad that NBC even ran a highlight package displaying his uncalled penalties. From Taylor's perspective, it's tough to blame him: If the officials don't call it, why would he stop?
Even NBC rules analyst Terry McCauley, typically a staunch defender of his fellow referees, called out the officials on Thursday night's broadcast.
Jawaan Taylor gets away with endless Chiefs penalties
Even with the missed calls in their favor, Kansas City did not make things easy. Without Chris Jones on defense and Travis Kelce on offense, the Chiefs were at a huge disadvantage heading into the game itself.
Kelce wanted to play in the Chiefs first opportunity to defend their 2022-23 Super Bowl, but Andy Reid wouldn't allow it. Surely, their repeat chances matter more than just one regular-season contest.
As for Chris Jones, the KC defensive star is embattled in a contract dispute with the team. Brett Veach claims the Chiefs won't trade Jones, who would fetch a lot in the trade market, but KC aren't about to give him Aaron Donald money.
Lions fans have every right to be upset about the missed calls on Taylor, especially if they start the season 0-1. Road victories are tough to come by in the modern NFL, and the officiating crew just made matters that much tougher for Detroit.
Taylor ought to fix his technique by Week 2.
