The NFL has admitted an officiating error in Sunday'sKansas City Chiefs-San Diego Chargers game that played a role in determining the league's playoff field.
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NFL Replay
will re-air the
San Diego Chargers' 27-24 win over the
Kansas City Chiefs from Week 17 on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
"With 0:08 remaining in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers, Kansas City faced a fourth-and-12 from the San Diego 23. The Chiefs attempted a 41-yard field that was no good," the league said in a statement.
"On the play, San Diego lined up with seven men on one side of the snapper. This should have been penalized as an illegal formation by the defense.
"Rule 9, Section 1, Article 3(b)(1) of the NFL Rule Book (page 51) states that 'No more than six Team B players may be on the line of scrimmage on either side of the snapper at the snap.' The rule was adopted this year as a player safety measure.
"The penalty for illegal formation by the defense is a loss of five yards. This rule is not subject to instant replay review. Had the penalty been assessed, it would have resulted in a fourth-and-7 from the San Diego 18 with 0:04 remaining, enabling the Chiefs to attempt a 36-yard field goal."
There's no guarantee that Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop would have connected on the 36-yard field-goal attempt. But if the correct call was made and Succop connected on the re-kick, the Chargers would have lost the game and the Pittsburgh Steelers would be preparing to play in Cincinnati this weekend.
We break down all the Week 17 action and look ahead to the playoffs in the latest "Around The League Podcast."
