Week 1 NFL Worst Calls: DO YOU HAVE EYES, SIR? Jawaan Taylor's blatant false starts and other pre-snap penalties
Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor got away with everything save for murder on Thursday night. In the Chiefs' season-opening loss to the Lions, Taylor got called out by Chiefs haters and Twitters users alike for his blatant miscues all game.
From the start of the game, fans noticed that Taylor was often lined up too far into the backfield and should have gotten flagged for an illegal formation. Once or twice, Taylor was spotted holding Lions' Aidan Hutchinson. And still other times, the ex-Jaguars tackle was moving his right leg when he shouldn't have and starting his pass-blocking set too early, two pre-snap fouls that Taylor also wasn't called for.
Finally, after nearly 60 minutes of play, the referees decided to call a false start on Taylor, but by then, the damage had been done. The uncalled fouls had racked up, and the world had already decided this season was scripted for another Chiefs' Super Bowl win.
How is Jawaan Taylor not called for false start? #OnePride pic.twitter.com/9evbnjnx2V
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) September 8, 2023
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay: Jawaan Taylor is putting #Lions Aidan Hutchinson at a “tremendous disadvantage” by not being “remotely close” to proper alignment pic.twitter.com/uMbofCNOqB
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) September 8, 2023
Tonight’s script; Jawaan Taylor has diplomatic immunity.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 8, 2023
One needs only to look back to February of this year to remember the controversial James Bradberry holding call that gave the Chiefs a fresh set of downs late in the fourth in their Super Bowl victory over the Eagles.
Not penalizing those obvious false starts by Jawaan Taylor gives the NFL officiating crew a bad rep in Week 1. Not like they had a good one in the first place.