Did the Cincinnati Bengals get a huge break on their game-winning drive in overtime in the AFC Championship Game?
Maybe…
The Bengals beat the Chiefs, 27-24, in overtime on Sunday, advancing to the Super Bowl. Prior to their game-winning field goal in overtime, there was a controversial play.
I don’t think it was illegal formation Reid wanted to challenge – I think Mixon was never touched down, and the Chiefs look to be the first team to recover the ball. #NFL pic.twitter.com/6ocs6h9OlY
— Ryan Greene 📷 (@RyanCBS4) January 30, 2022
Andy Reid admitted following the game that he asked the referees to challenge the play, wanting to know if Joe Mixon fumbled the ball prior to getting touched.
“They said he gave himself up,” Reid said.
Reid couldn’t challenge in overtime on the Joe Mixon run but asked the officials to review and look for a fumble. “They said he gave himself up.”
— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) January 30, 2022
Did he, though?
Pro Football Talk disagrees:
But Mixon did not give himself up, the way that term is typically understood, like when a quarterback slides. Mixon was knocked down, then got up on his own, then dropped the football, and a Chiefs player picked it up. It was unclear from the replays shown on the CBS broadcast whether Mixon collided with a Chiefs player or one of his own teammates before he went to the ground, and it was also unclear whether the Chiefs had a clear and immediate recovery of the loose ball before the officials blew the whistle and ended the play.
Others feel similarly.
“He didn’t give himself up (no rooting interest),” one fan admitted.
“That’s nonsense,” another fan said.
“Since when is tripping over a teammate, standing up to celebrate, and dropping the ball “Giving yourself up.” I thought you needed to either slide or stay down for a few seconds,” another fan pointed out on Sunday night.
Regardless, the Chiefs are going home, while the Bengals are off to the Super Bowl.
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