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New Video Shows Chiefs’ Xavier Worthy Getting Away With Rude Penalty vs. Raiders

Chiefs wideout Xavier Worthy seemed to get away with a taunting penalty during Sunday's win over the Raiders.
Chiefs wideout Xavier Worthy seemed to get away with a taunting penalty during Sunday's win over the Raiders. | Screengrab on Twitter/ @Snook_237

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The Chiefs soundly beat the Raiders on Sunday in dominant fashion, thrashing their division rivals 31-0 thanks to another MVP-caliber performance from quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Compared to recent Chiefs' games, this one felt pretty evenly officiated, with Kansas City getting called for eight penalties for 55 yards while Las Vegas picked up five for 32 yards. But, one moment from the third quarter has some NFL fans riled up about yet another missed call benefitting the team in red.

Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy corralled a 12-yard pass from Mahomes down the middle of the field, and afterward Worthy appeared to taunt his defender. Immediately folllowing his catch, Worthy dropped the ball on Raiders cornerback Darnay Holmes's head and stood over him for a few seconds. A nearby ref quickly de-escalated the situation and physically ushered Worthy away, rather than penalize the Chiefs wideout for his taunt.

Take a look at that video below:

There was a flag thrown on the play, but it was for defensive holding on Holmes.

Fans were naturally upset about the non-call:

While Worthy's move feels a bit tame and may not seem totally deserving of a taunting penalty, the NFL has punished players for similar antics earlier this season. Back in Week 1, Packers safety Xavier McKinney received a taunting penalty for standing over a Lions player after the ball was dead. Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith was also flagged for taunting after flexing on a Cowboys player following a big stop.


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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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