Refs Refused to Flag Chiefs Right Tackle Jawaan Taylor For Lining Up Illegally All Game
The Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions faced off in the NFL opener Thursday night and everyone noticed the same thing when Patrick Mahomes brought his offense on the field. Well, everyone except the game's officials.
Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor kept doing pretty much everything illegally, and the refs refused to throw a flag. Most obviously, Taylor was lining up really far off the line of scrimmage, making Kansas City's offensive alignment illegal. He did it all night and wasn't flagged.
Rules expert Terry McAulay explained during NBC's broadcast:
Terry Mcaulay on how far back Jawaan Taylor is lining up: "To be on the LOS, his helmet has to break the waist line of the center, and tbh we've watched him the whole game, he's really not remotely close. It's putting the DE at a tremendous disadvantage." https://t.co/Sep5xNFq2D pic.twitter.com/qs6XmzuUPC
— FOLLOW: @TSV__1 (@TSV__1) September 8, 2023
And here's a look at how far off the line Taylor was lining up all night:
Jawaan Taylor pre-snap 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/wgIyiiGl77
— FOLLOW: @TSV__1 (@TSV__1) September 8, 2023
He's not even close.
As if that wasn't enough, Taylor was jumping before almost every snap, moving early. He should have had a number of false starts called.
How many times we gonna let this cat false start ref? #Lions #Chiefs #ChiefsVsLions pic.twitter.com/QJR3Nysfwf
— FlintTownProud (@laddydogH) September 8, 2023
Yeah, I'd say Lions fans have a right to be upset.
Taylor has been matched up against Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson for most of the game and it's clear he's been trying to get an advantage. It has worked, as he's largely kept the second-year player in check.