Sports
Xavier Worthy - English
In Kansas City‘s 31-0 blowout over the Raiders on Sunday, a popup moment late in the third quarter caught the attention of fans and analysts – Xavier Worthy seemingly danced just over the line of taunting, yet escaped punishment.
Immediately after hauling in a 12-yard pass, Worthy dropped the ball onto Raiders cornerback Darnay Holmes‘ head, paused to flex, and stared down his fallen opponent.
A referee physically ushered him away, but no taunting flag was thrown – sparking renewed complaints that officials habitually give the Chiefs the benefit of the doubt.
The official count in that game showed Kansas City was penalized eight times for 55 yards, compared to Las Vegas’s five flags for 32 yards. But one glaring moment stands out: that confrontation felt borderline, if not clearly over the line – and yet it went unpunished.
A flag was thrown on the same play, but it was for defensive holding on Holmes, leaving Worthy’s provocative behavior untouched.
Taunting or tolerated?
In the NFL‘s rulebook, taunting and unsportsmanlike active gestures are supposed to draw flags, particularly in games with high intensity. Sites like Sports Illustrated have published video breakdowns calling this particular non-call “rude” and “clearly taunting.”
Worthy‘s act of dropping the ball on a defender’s head and flexing over him falls well within the kind of play that usually draws discipline. The fact that officials opted not to penalize it only fuels the narrative that the Chiefs receive preferential treatment in close calls.
Critics argue that this leniency builds an uneven playing field. When fans see a receiver standing over a defender, taunting – yet no call – it sends a message: certain teams are held to different standards.
Worthy‘s incident joins a growing list of contentious no-calls in recent Chiefs games, ones that add grist to the debate over fairness in officiating.
Whether this moment will be revisited in replay or disciplinary review remains unclear. But the optics are loud: when rules bend in your favor, even minor infractions feel magnified – especially in a league where consistency is already under scrutiny.
For fans watching, the missed whistle was just another reminder that in some games, calls don’t seem to go both ways.
This news was originally published on this post .
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