The Kansas City Chiefs are headed into the offseason with more questions than answers following their 40-22 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. Despite their efforts to secure a third consecutive championship, mistakes, penalties and defensive struggles played a major role in their downfall.
One of the most controversial moments of the game involved Chiefs defensive back Trent McDuffie, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness during a key play.
McDuffie’s controversial penalty under league review
During the second half of the Super Bowl matchup, Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert leaped to make a catch when McDuffie collided with him mid-air, leading to a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.
While some argued that the hit was clean and simply a result of a high-speed play, the referees deemed it dangerous enough to warrant a flag, giving the Eagles a major advantage on the drive.
Now, McDuffie may be facing additional consequences, as the NFL reviews all personal foul calls after games.
Following conference championship weekend, where the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills and the Eagles eliminated the Washington Commanders, the league issued fines to five players for unnecessary roughness, with penalties ranging from $6,722 to $17,445.
While it’s still unclear whether McDuffie will be fined, the possibility remains very real given the NFL’s history of enforcing penalties after the fact.
Aside from the controversial penalty, McDuffie had a solid performance, recording five total tackles.
The Chiefs’ defense, which had been a strength throughout the season, struggled to contain the Eagles’ offensive attack.
Still, they managed some key plays, including one pass deflection, two sacks, three quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss and 76 total tackles.
However, these efforts were not enough to slow down Philadelphia’s explosive offense, which controlled the tempo and capitalized on key mistakes by Kansas City.
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