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Referee Karl Scheffers attempted to defend his controversial decision by pointing to a defensive intervention from Chiefs Chris Jones To rough quarterback invaders Derek Carr After the Monday night game.
“The quarterback is in the pocket and he’s in a passing situation,” said Chevers. “He gets complete protection on all sides of what we give a quarterback in a passing position. So, when it was handled, my verdict was that the defender fell on him with full weight. The quarterback is protected from being exposed to full body weight. My judgment was eliminating the passerby for that reason.” .
Chivers said the fact that Jones stripped Carr and actually took possession of the ball had nothing to do with the referee.
“No, because he’s still getting fleeting protection so he can fend for himself,” Chivers said. “So, with him being in a passing position and actually trying to pass him, he will get full protection until the time he can actually protect himself. The fact that the ball went out and the defense got it back later is not relevant in terms of the protection that the midfielder gets.”
Chivers said there was nothing about the play to be reviewed upon replay, and that the New York office was not involved in the decision.
Nothing about Chivers’ interpretation will be satisfactory to the chiefs, or to NFL fans who believe that bystander penalties have gone too far.