Micah Parsons did not play in Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and the Bengals on Sunday, but he has thoughts about it.
Parsons and the rest of the Cowboys got stomped by the Saints in the early game, 44-19. This gave them plenty of time to watch the afternoon game between Joe Burrow and the Bengals and Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs. The game had many plot twists and turns but ultimately ended up being a one-point win for the Chiefs.
While Parsons says there were plenty of “crazy” calls, many of which went both ways, he felt like the Chiefs benefitted most from the officiating.
“That game was pretty crazy… a lot of calls went both ways, and I’m going to be honest… I feel like the refs did favor the Chiefs a little bit more. But at the end of the day, you can’t put the game in the refs’ hands,” Parsons said Tuesday on his podcast, The Edge.
One particularly controversial call came late in the 4th quarter as the Chiefs were driving to win the game. On a 4th & 16, Mahomes threw a pass for Rashee Rice that went incomplete. However, the referees ruled that Cincinnati’s Daijahn Robinson contacted Rice too early. The Chiefs were awarded a crucial first down on a drive that ended with Harrison Butker kicking a game-winning 51-yard field goal.
However, the bad calls weren’t one-sided. Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase yanked Kansas City’s Trent McDuffie to the ground on a play in which McDuffie got the penalty, and Cincinnati got points on the drive.
Parsons became one of the first active players to use his social media platform to criticize other active players and officials. However, he doesn’t think anyone should be overly concerned with what he’s saying.
“I don’t think no one really cares about what I’m doing on a Monday afternoon when I’m at home with my kids. So, why would they care if I’m on Xbox? I think we all get our own free time. When y’all away from here, are y’all thinking about me at home? I would hope not,” Parsons told reporters in August.
“I try not to say (anything) controversial, but everyone always is gonna be drawn to something. They’re going to try to take one thing. We all have opinions. We’re not going to agree to what everyone says. That’s life.”