KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A significant moment in Joe Burrow’s performance during the tense game at Arrowhead Stadium didn’t appear in the statistics.

He potentially prevented his star wide receiver from being thrown out of the game.

As the clock ticked away in the fourth quarter, Burrow intervened just as Ja’Marr Chase demonstrated his displeasure with the officiating, resulting in a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct from referee Alex Kemp. If Burrow hadn’t stepped in to pull Chase away from the situation, the receiver might have been expelled as he approached Kemp to express further concerns.

“I was just trying to calm things down,” Burrow explained about his involvement in the incident.

This intervention seemed to be effective. According to Kemp, Chase had questioned whether he was taken down by an illegal hip-drop tackle earlier during the drive before the penalty was called, but the officials determined that the tackle was not illegal. In a replay of the play that caused the penalty, it was evident that Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie had grabbed Chase’s facemask while bringing him to the ground. There might also have been a need for closer examination concerning the new rule banning hip-drop tackles.

When asked by a reporter from the Professional Football Writers of America why Chase received the misconduct penalty, Kemp explained: “It’s pretty straightforward. It was merely abusive language directed at a game official. There was no ambiguity about it. I won’t repeat what was said, but it was indeed abusive language.”

Burrow remarked, “I’m not completely sure what was said.”

Bengals coach Zac Taylor also lacked clarity on the situation.

“I wasn’t directly involved, so I didn’t see everything that happened,” Taylor said.

Reporter Ben Baby from ESPN inquired of Kemp how officials determine when a player has overstepped bounds in questioning their calls. Kemp responded, “The basic rule is the difference between profanity used by adults and direct, personal abusive language aimed at an official. That’s the threshold. When that line is crossed, we cannot allow it in professional football.”

Chase chose not to comment on the occurrence to reporters at his locker but later mentioned to YSL News Sports that he had concerns regarding the apparent facemask penalty and what he believed was a hip-drop tackle.

Was it the facemask penalty or the hip-drop tackle?

“Either one,” Chase replied.

When the NFL announced the prohibition on the swivel hip-drop tackle for safety reasons earlier this year, it faced backlash from various players, coaches, and even the NFL Players Association regarding how this tactic would be called. The competition committee acknowledged that real-time rulings would be tricky and indicated that warnings and fines might be given post-play after further review during the week.

If Chase had the opportunity to influence the situation, it’s clear he believes his case warrants further examination.