The Chiefs Enjoyed the Benefits of a Helmet-to-Helmet “No Call” in a Key Moment
It's the 4th quarter, 5 + minutes to go in the game, the 49ers have a 3rd and about 5 yards to go for a first down they desperately need. If my memory serves correct, the Chiefs led the game 24-20 at this point. Jimmy Garoppolo drops back to pass, is hit as he throws, the pass is incomplete. The 49ers would be forced to punt which seems unfair since the Chiefs defender who took Jimmy G down hit him helmet-to-helmet.
The 49ers should have been granted 15 yards and an automatic 1st down, instead the game rolled on. No penalty was called, no mention of the helmet to helmet hit by the Joe Buck or Troy Aikman, nothing. Jimmy was making his case to the officials I was screaming at the TV but he and I seemed to be the only 2 of 150 million people watching that thought this was a bogus "no call."
Why would the league have interest in favoring the Chiefs? The 49ers already have 5 Super Bowl titles and they want to further advance/promote Patrick Mahomes as the new face of the league and the new way quarterback is played. His no look passes and 50 point games put rear ends in the seats. Watching an organization play defense and run the ball, the way San Francisco does not make as much money for the stockholders.
Do I think the penalty would have changed the outcome of the game? We don't know and that's as good a point as anyone could make. These mistakes or "no calls" can't happen on the biggest stage. I don't even like the rule but if it's in place, it needs to be called.
When it comes to the other stuff, Mahomes is the new face of the NFL, this is the future of the quarterback position, I don't buy it. You cannot sustain this type of play over the long haul, the league adapts/will catch up and to his credit there are not too many guys who can play the position the way Mahomes does. This is not the long-term "new way" the QB position will be played.
If they throw the flag there we may be talking about a different outcome or the same outcome with a more exciting ending. This is not a Super Bowl I'd look up on Youtube because outside of the halftime show, it wasn't all that dramatic.