Partial much? Chiefs get away with no penalty after obvious timeout blunder by DC Steve Spagnuolo

Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo called a time-out against the Ravens even though he is not allowed to, but the referees let it slide.

Partial much? Chiefs get away with no penalty after obvious timeout blunder by DC Steve Spagnuolo

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on the sidelines arguing with referee about calling a timeout (Image via ESPN)

The Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo apparently got away with a call that he should not be allowed to make. Did the referees fumble? Let’s take a look at what happened.

With just seconds left on the clock until halftime, the Chiefs led the Baltimore Ravens in the Week 1 game at Arrowhead 13-7. The Ravens had the ball at the yard mark inside the Chief endzone on second down.

Right before Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was about to snap the ball, Spagnuolo seemingly called a timeout. The NBC cameras pointed toward the sideline as the referee approached the veteran coach.

FS Video

Regardless, the game went on, and in the third quarter, the Chiefs increased their lead through a 1-yard run from running back Isiah Pacheco, who later threw up on the sidelines. Ravens Isaiah Likely closed the gap through a 49-yard touchdown pass from Jackson.

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Should the referee have penalized Steve Spagnuolo?

Technically, the referee should have warned or even applied a penalty to the Chiefs. That’s because only the head coach, which in this case is Andy Reid, has the power to call timeouts and not the coordinators. Hence, when Steve Spagnuolo allegedly called for one, then the referee should have announced a punishment, but it did not happen.

Partial much? Chiefs get away with no penalty after obvious timeout blunder by DC Steve Spagnuolo
Steve Spagnuolo with Chris Jones (Image via ESPN)

Instead, the refs stopped the clock. They can be seen arguing with Spagnuolo, who eventually backed off. Another angle showed Spagnuolo urging the referee on the sidelines to stop the clock. Football fans argued that the refs screwed it up big time.

Baltimore finished the drive with kicker Justin Tucker scoring a 25-yard field goal, ending the half trailing by 3 points, 13-10.

Well, it seems, Spagnuolo did not call the timeout. According to the Kansas City Star columnist Sam McDowell head coach Andy Reid was the one who called for the penalty on the sidelines. However, that wasn’t shown on the TV or on social media.

This video doesn't provide the full context. Andy Reid called timeout first. The judge at the back pylon noticed Reid and gave it to him. Spags didn't spot that, and because the near ref had not seen Reid's TO, Spags raced in, as seen here. But timeout had already been granted.
Sam McDowell wrote on X

The Chiefs-Ravens season opener ending was a close affair

Xavier Worthy had a hot start to his career in the NFL. He notched one in the first half and then had a 35-yard run into the red zone in the fourth quarter. Tucker, who missed one field goal early in the game, hit one from 32 to make the game a close affair.

The Ravens almost won the game in the depths as Steve Spagnuolo watched on. Jackson threw a pass, aiming at Likely under double coverage. The 24-year-old caught the ball, but his right toe was out of bounds, so the refs disallowed the touchdown, and the game ended 27-20, in Chiefs’ favor.

With that win, Patrick Mahomes is now 5-1 against Lamar Jackson in the league. Mahomes ended the night throwing 20/28 for 291 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Jackson finished with 26/41 for 273 yards and 1 touchdown, along with 16 carries for 122 rushing yards.

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