Cincinnati Bengals star receiver Ja'Marr Chase was hit with a flagrant 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, costing the Bengals momentum on a key offensive effort late in the game and forcing them to be content with a field goal in a one-point loss.
With the Bengals at their own 34-yard line, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow threw a pass to Chase for a 4-yard completion, after Chase reacted to the way he was tackled by Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie and lashed out at referee Alex Kemp, who became enraged and physically pulled Chase away from Kemp, forcing Burrow to push Chase back into the huddle.
But it was too late. Chase was spurred on by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct foul, and the Bengals' momentum was gone, forcing them to settle for a field goal.
“It's pretty clear,” Kemp said of the reason for the penalty. “It was simply a verbal abuse towards the umpire. That's all. And there was no interpretation whatsoever. I'm not going to repeat what he said, but there was no interpretation for the words he used. It was just a verbal abuse.”
“The answer is simple: there's a difference between foul language used by adults and direct, personal abuse directed at a referee,” Kemp said. “That's the line. Once that line is crossed, we can't allow that to happen in professional football.”
Chase's anger continued on the sideline, where head coach Zac Taylor tried unsuccessfully to calm his star receiver.
The Bengals took a 25-23 lead after a field goal, but the Chiefs fought back with a 51-yard field goal by Harrison Butker to win 26-25. So Cincinnati's failure to score seven points, or at least to continue driving and buy time before kicking a field goal, directly led to their loss.
Ja'Marr Chase is seeking a new contract with Cincinnati that would make him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, and what happened on Sunday puts him at a disadvantage.
