It’s so odd to listen to a narrative form and then cement itself in the minds of fans and the media. That offsides call in the KC game that everyone is having a fit over. The one that is “never called”. ITS BEEN CALLED 11 TIMES THIS SEASON ALONE!!
That info came straight from the retired ref representative on NBC during SNF.
And yet, the narrative that “those stupid refs ruined the KC game because of an actual foul that is never called” persists.
I'm about as surprised at the uproar as anybody else, but here's why I figure it is happening. In one's mind, one easily lumps together false starts and the more rare offensive offsides into the same category of penalty - both seem to be pre-snap penalties, which are dead ball fouls. But offensive offsides is technically not a pre-snap penalty because no violation occurs until the ball is snapped. Thus the play is not whistled dead as the offense expects on a false start. But the flag flies on the snap, and usually, that means "free play" for the offense. When you think you've got a free play, and you go for some razzle-dazzle, and it works, only for it to get called back I guess it's pretty disappointing.
If it were a dead ball foul, and the whistle had blown at the snap, nobody would have cried about it. The receiver was obviously in the neutral zone. But KC thought they had a free play, and thought they had a razzle-dazzle touchdown to take a late lead only to learn that the free play was Buffalo's. And they lost. Tough one to swallow, easier to cry.