The internet had a field day with Patrick Mahomes' postgame handshake with Bo Nix after the Broncos' 28-24 upset over the Chiefs on Sunday. But CBS Sports sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson is shutting down the criticism.
Wolfson, who was on the field when the game ended, took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify what actually happened. She explained that Nix was on the opposite side of the field, celebrating the big win, and it took him a while to make his way over to Mahomes for the traditional quarterback exchange.
"This is absolutely not true. I was right there and Nix was on the other side of field when game ended and celebrating and took a while to get to Mahomes. They had a long conversation with Mahomes and Nix both showing respect for each other," Wolfson posted.
The scrutiny on Mahomes is nothing new, but in this case, he didn't appear to do anything wrong. The Chiefs quarterback was clearly frustrated by the loss, especially after a costly false start penalty wiped out a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
"At the end of the day, you have to go with whatever's called," Mahomes said postgame. "But a lot of times in those big moments, the little stuff doesn't get called like that."
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid also disagreed with the call, saying, "I saw him move his head, but I didn't see a false start."
Despite the controversy, the Chiefs have to move on. They dropped to 5-2 with the loss and will host the Jets next Sunday, November 8, at 1 p.m. ET. The team has bigger concerns than a handshake, like getting back on track after a tough divisional loss.
As for Mahomes, he's no stranger to handling team matters with a firm hand, but this postgame moment was just a case of a competitor being disappointed in the result.
The Broncos, meanwhile, are celebrating a huge win that could shift the AFC West race. For Mahomes and the Chiefs, the focus now shifts to fixing the mistakes that cost them a chance to extend their winning streak.
