Carl Cheffers is regarded as one of the NFL's best referees. Cheffers was rated so highly this season he will likely be selected as the referee of Super Bowl LI, according to Fox Sports.
Just don't tell that to Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs tight end went off on Cheffers following Kansas City's 18-16 divisional round loss to the Steelers on Sunday night. Kelce was upset Cheffers called Chiefs tackle Eric Fisher for holding Steelers linebacker James Harrison on a two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game at 18-18 with less than three minutes remaining.
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Here's the successful, negated two-point conversion and the one that failed. 18-16, #Steelers up. #chiefskingdom #HereWeGo #PITvsKC pic.twitter.com/Z2v5nVrSxf
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) January 16, 2017
"It hurts. You fight all year, you fight all game, for it to end like that, for the ref to take it ot of our hands, that hurts," Kelce told reporters. "You try to play this game with integrity and to the end of the whistle. When the refs wants to take over the game and make it their own platform, there's nothing you can do about it."
MORE: Steelers-Chiefs — stats and highlights
Instead of the successful 2-yard pass to tight end Demetrius Harris, the Chiefs were backed up 10 yards for another try. Alex Smith's pass to Jeremy Maclin was incomplete and the Steelers maintained their two-point advantage, which turned out to be the final margin.
"To get our jugulars ripped out because the ref felt bad for James Harrison falling on the ground, it's ignorance," Kelce said. "(Cheffers) shouldn't even be able to wear a zebra jersey. He shouldn't even be able to work at f—ing Foot Locker."
MORE: Return of the 'Steel Curtain'?
Kelce may have a point. It did appear Harrison slipped, but Fisher also had a pretty good hold of him. Maybe it could have been a no-call, but it's not as if that one play cost the Chiefs the game. Kelce had one of the Chiefs' six penalties — a drive-stalling personal foul penalty with a late shove of Steelers defensive back Ross Cockrell late in the third quarter.
Travis Kelce's new reality TV show: how to blow a playoff game. https://t.co/U4WPw1g0mK pic.twitter.com/l1eBcBxhDR
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) January 16, 2017
There's playing to the end of the whistle and continuing after the whistle.
Acknowledging you were responsible for one of the game's worst penalties would be a pretty good indication of integrity and accountability.