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Andy Reid calls Frank Clark roughing-the-passer penalty ‘a shame’

A questionable call changed Sunday Night Football.

NFL: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs defense was on the field after quarterback Patrick Mahomes hit tight end Travis Kelce for a 1-yard touchdown, cutting the Buffalo Bills' lead to 31-20.

Playing much better than it had in the first half, the Chiefs' defense pushed quarterback Josh Allen the Buffalo Bills to a third-and-17 on their own 8-yard line. Defensive end Frank Clark slid past former Chief and current Bills center Mitch Morse and got to Allen, who had released a pass a moment earlier.

Cornerback Rashad Fenton picked off the pass, but a flag was thrown in the backfield: roughing the passer on Clark — which negated the play. The drive continued — eventually leading to a touchdown by wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Tiptoeing around words that could result in a fine from the league, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid shared some thoughts on the play after the game.

"It's a shame that the penalty does that at that particular time on what I thought was a pretty good tackle," said Reid in his post-game presser. "So, it's a shame. That's a shame that that happens. We did — we had the momentum coming back our way. It's not the first time, but it's a shame."

The call on Clark was not the only questionable call of the night by the Carl Cheffers-led crew. In total, it called 17 penalties — including seven on the Chiefs.

The best games in the NFL occur when the referees are hardly noticeable. That was certainly not the case on Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

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