Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was rocked by a strike from Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Teair Tart in Friday’s season opener, the kind of hit that normally leads to an ejection.
But Tart was given only a 15-yard penalty for his strike to Kelce’s facemask, a decision that has sparked some controversy.
Tart played the remainder of the game as the Chargers hounded Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, going on to win 27-21, even though many fans thought he should have been ejected.
NFL Rules Analyst Explains Decision
During the YouTube broadcast of Friday’s game, NFL rules analyst Terry McAulay explained that Tart may have gotten away with the hit because he used an open fist instead of a closed one.
“According to (NFL officiating and rules analyst) Walt Anderson, they said because it was an open hand contact to the head that was not a disqualifying action,” McAulay said, via The Athletic.
“On this one, they felt that it was just an open hand blow to the head, not a closed fist, not a punch, and they did not disqualify in this case.”
Not everyone was buying the explanation. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote that the league’s own interpretation of the rule should have led to an ejection for Tart.
Florio noted that the NFL makes no distinction on whether strikes are delivered with an open fist or a closed one, only that they led to automatic ejections.
“The open-hand/closed-fist distinction simply isn’t in the rulebook. The only question when a player strikes an opponent is whether the action was flagrant,” Florio wrote.
“There’s only one small problem with this. It sure as hell looked flagrant,” he added. “So here’s the real question.
Given the emphasis on sportsmanship and respect for the opponent, why didn’t Tart’s flagrant blow to Kelce’s head, open-handed or not, trigger an ejection?”
As Florio noted, the decision to allow Tart to stay in the game had a direct impact on the final outcome.
He later tipped a two-point conversion pass that, if completed, would have tied the game at 20.
Chargers Lineman Could Still Face League Consequences
While he avoided ejection, Tart could still face monetary punishment from the NFL. The league regularly issues fines to players for plays that either didn’t draw a penalty flag or an ejection.
As The Athletic’s Jayna Bardahl pointed out, the league has become stricter on unsportsmanlike penalties.
“The decision caught attention as the NFL has said it is cracking down on unsportsmanlike conduct this season,” Bardahl wrote.
“In Thursday’s season opener, Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter was ejected before the first play of the game after spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.”
Friday’s game involved more controversy for the Chiefs after Mahomes laid a hit on Chargers cornerback Dante Jackson at the end of a third-quarter run.
Mahomes was a step from the sidelines when he made the hit, with Jackson appearing to ease up and not hit the Chiefs quarterback.
The play drew some pushback from fans who pointed out that defenders have been flagged for hitting Mahomes so close to the sideline in the past, while the Chiefs quarterback was not penalized for hitting Jackson.
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