Andy Reid wanted review of possible Joe Mixon fumble in OT of Chiefs vs. Bengals; officials said RB ‘gave himself up’

During the Bengals’ winning drive vs. the Chiefs in the AFC championship game Sunday, Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon dropped the ball after a run and a Kansas City player picked it up. The play was not ruled a fumble, however.

It wasn’t reviewed, either, even though Chiefs coach Andy Reid asked officials to look at it. Reid said officials told him Mixon “gave himself up,” meaning they judged Mixon wasn’t advancing the ball any further, and ruled the play dead.

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Mixon was knocked down but got back up on his own and then dropped the ball. Where things get tricky, though, is whether Mixon ran into a Chiefs player or a Bengals player before hitting the ground. Additionally, it was tough to tell whether the Chiefs made a clear and immediate recovery before the play was dead. The Bengals kicked a game-winning field goal three plays later to advance to Super Bowl 56. 

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Some viewers believed that Mixon appeared to not be touched by a Chiefs defender, while others questioned whether they were the only ones to notice the fumble, because it wasn’t getting much attention on the CBS broadcast.

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