Chiefs head coach Andy Reid seems pleased with the progress of rookie LT Josh Simmons.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce took a shot to the facemask from Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Teair Tart in Friday’s season opener, a hit that often leads to an ejection.

Tart was allowed to remain in the game, however, with an NFL analyst explaining that the manner in which the defensive tackle struck Kelce may have saved him from an early exit. Speaking to reporters this week, Chiefs coach Andy Reid questioned the league over the decision.

Tart was flagged for unnecessary roughness after striking Kelce in the third quarter of the 27-21 loss for the Chiefs but was allowed to remain in the game. It was a costly decision for the Chiefs, as Tart and the Chargers hounded quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Tart himself later knocked down a two-point conversion pass.

Though the league mandates that players are ejected for throwing a punch, NFL rules analyst Terry McAulay said during the game’s YouTube broadcast that Tart did not have a closed fist when he hit Kelce — meaning it was not technically a punch.

“According to (NFL officiating and rules analyst) Walt Anderson, they said because it was an open hand contact to the head that was not a disqualifying action,” McAulay said, via The Athletic. “On this one, they felt that it was just an open hand blow to the head, not a closed fist, not a punch, and they did not disqualify in this case.”

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Reid admitted that he did not understand why Tart was allowed to remain in the game. The Chiefs coach said he would be addressing the issue with the league.

“I don’t understand that rule,” Reid said, via NFL.com. “I guess it’s open-hand, fist, whatever, I don’t know. I don’t know what their decision was on that. But he definitely got hit in the head pretty hard, whether it was an open fist or a closed fist.”

While Tart likely awaits a fine for the incident, the league has already made a decision on another controversial incident that impacts the Chiefs. Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected from his team’s season opener after spitting on quarterback Dak Prescott and faced a potential suspension for his team’s Week 2 game against the Chiefs.

The league announced on Tuesday that Carter would face a one-game suspension, but made the unusual decision to declare that his Week 1 ejection counted toward the punishment. That makes him eligible to play in Sunday’s game, which will be a critical test for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs already fell to 0-1 and could dig an even deeper hole in the Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles. Reid took the blame for the team’s slow start in the season opener, saying they would need to improve quickly.

“There were some good things mixed in there,” Reid said, via KMBC. “But there’s some things we’ve got to fix, and I know the players are aware of that, and the coaches are aware of it.

“So, we’ll get busy. We’ve got a good Eagles team coming in here and [we] look forward to playing them right here at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.”

Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty