Tried-and-true football fans know the end result of an NFL preseason game indicates little about the team’s potential success for the coming season. The final score of 20-12 in the Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the first exhibition of the year is more or less insignificant.
However, some numbers can be worth pointing out, and head coach Andy Reid had one statistic on the top of his mind as he opened his post-game press conference on Saturday.
“There were some good things, and
there were some things we need to clean up,” Reid prefaced at the podium. “Obviously, with the penalties, that would be the number one thing that needs to be cleaned up.”
For this game, the Chiefs were flagged 12 times for 83 yards. On the flip side, the Rams were called for just four penalties.
On the Chiefs’ first offensive drive, quarterback Justin Fields gave wide receiver Cyrus Allen a catch-and-run opportunity that moved the chains, but wide receiver Jalen Royals was called for offensive pass interference. It killed the drive’s rhythm.
If you questioned whether Royals should have been called for pass interference on that play, it appears to be the correct call under the NFL rulebook. Regardless of whether the pass went beyond the line of scrimmage, Royals was too quick to engage in his block, or the ball wasn’t out quickly enough.
It is pass interference by either team when any act by a player more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage significantly hinders an eligible player’s opportunity to catch the ball. Pass interference can only occur when a forward pass is thrown from behind the line of scrimmage, regardless of whether the pass is legal or illegal, or whether it crosses the line. When the ball is in the air, eligible offensive and defensive receivers have the same right to the path of the ball and are subject to the same restrictions.
The momentum-killing snap was reminiscent of drive-ending penalties that plagued all of last season. The Chiefs’ offense is looking to keep a stronger rhythm than it was able to for much of last year; it will need to nip the penalty bug in the bud to achieve that goal.
