Referee Tony Corrente Defends Sack Call that Benefited Chiefs

It’s game of inches,  but it’s also a game of right and wrong calls.

Referee Tony Corrente said Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was “being controlled quite a bit” as the reason that a key play in Monday’s game against the New England Patriots was ruled a sack and not a fumble.

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The Chiefs were awarded possession after this play pic.twitter.com/noJyZM5Nb3

— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) October 6, 2020

The Chiefs went on to win 26-10, but the play happened at a juncture in the second quarter when the game was still in doubt. Kansas City led 6-3 at the time.

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“As he was being controlled, other players were coming in at him,” Corrente said of Mahomes. “And so, with those other players bearing down on him, a quarterback is considered in the grasp, and his forward progress is considered stopped when I feel as though the player’s safety is being jeopardized.

“And that was the case in this instance. So rather than allow him to get hit by a second and third player, we shut it down and considered it forward progress at that point.”

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Pool report with referee Tony Corrente, which is distributed to all reporters.

Bill Belichick could not challenge the sack call on Patrick Mahomes. Corrente said he felt Mahomes was being “controlled quite a bit” prior to going to the ground. pic.twitter.com/tBnzmWhYYC

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 6, 2020

New England was unable to challenge the ruling that Mahomes’ forward progress was stopped.

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Bill Belichick … did not like that call. pic.twitter.com/GqI6FTDSbT

— Henry Coffey McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) October 6, 2020

“He called forward progress, and he was down,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “You can’t challenge that.”

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Referee Tony Corrente on the “in the grasp” call in #NEvsKC: pic.twitter.com/og3z8mUcmK

— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) October 6, 2020

It’s hard enough to beat the Chiefs with the right calls being made.

The Pats are definitely not the Top Dogs of the NFL anymore.

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