For football fans who insist the NFL favors the Chiefs, a gift may have been handed out in the Chiefs' season opener against the Ravens — at least that's what the cameras seemed to say.
In a crucial moment late in the first half, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was allowed to take a timeout after the Kansas City defense appeared to be caught off guard, but the timeout should not have been granted.
Although only the head coach may call a timeout during a game, the umpires gave Spagnuolo permission to pause the game, which Spagnuolo quickly realized he was not allowed to do.
“He can't do that. The head coach has to come down. Only the head coach can take a timeout on the sideline,” NBC rules analyst Terry MacAulay said on the broadcast.
Spagnuolo quickly returned to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and appeared to apologize, but the broadcast appeared to show the defensive coach receiving a reprimand from one of the officials.
NBC's Mike Tirico noted that it was the “back corner” official who granted the timeout.
Kansas City Star Sam McDowell wrote in X Maybe it was Reid who was given the timeout from the start, but the cameras just didn't catch it.
“This video does not tell the whole story. Andy Reid called the first timeout. The umpire at the back pylon saw Reid and awarded the timeout,” McDowell wrote. “Spags did not see this and the umpire nearby did not see Reid's timeout, which is why Spags charged in, as you can see in the video. But the timeout had already been granted.”
Either way, the Chiefs benefited from a timeout, rallied, and were able to hold the Ravens to just one field goal before the end of the first half.
