Jets-Chiefs Ended With A Controversial Hold And A Patrick Mahomes Slide That Was Important To Some

When the Kansas City Chiefs took a 17-0 lead in the first quarter against the New York Jets, the expectation was that we would be headed for a blowout with a lot of discussion from Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth about Taylor Swift being at MetLife Stadium.

However, Zach Wilson played the best two quarters of his NFL career in the second and third, while Patrick Mahomes played terribly for the same stretch, and the Jets managed to pull even with the Chiefs at 20-20 in the third quarter. Kansas City would drive for a go-ahead field goal in the fourth and the Jets offense began to sputter again, handing the Chiefs the ball back on a fumbled snap from Wilson at midfield.

Still, the Jets had a shot at getting the ball back, forcing two third downs with more than 20 yards to go. The first was picked up by Mahomes’ legs on a 25-yard scramble — with an illegal contact that would’ve given them an auto first anyways — albeit one that Jets fans will quickly point out featured a very apparent hold on the left side of the line.

From there, the Jets again forced a 3rd-and-20, this time forcing an interception that was wiped off the board by a controversial holding call on Sauce Gardner that had Robert Saleh losing his mind on the sidelines.

There’s certainly contact, but it’s from both players and there doesn’t appear to be a real grab from Gardner, rather some hand-fighting as they run up the field. However, in real time it’s not hard to see how it looked like a hold, particularly as Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s head drops down, and to the Jets chagrin, the flag flew.

After getting through the 2-minute warning, the Chiefs again faced a third down and, for the second time, it was Mahomes taking off to pick it up. This time he got past the sticks and could’ve walked into the end zone, but that would’ve given the Jets a minuscule chance at a comeback, so he did what fantasy owners and Chiefs bettors didn’t want to see and slid down at the 2 to ensure the W.

The Chiefs closed as 7.5-point favorites (and were as high as 9.5 early in the week) and a touchdown would’ve covered every number, but Mahomes doesn’t care for your bets or fantasy matchups and is just trying to emerge with a win, taking a bow after his game-clinching run (but not score).