NFL fans outraged over roughing call on Patrick Mahomes in Chiefs' win: Troy Aikman joins backlash
The Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship after a 23-14 win over the Texans, but the game was marred by contentious officiating.
The Kansas City Chiefs secured their AFC Championship berth with a hard-fought victory over the Houston Texans. However, the game was overshadowed by questionable officiating decisions that seemingly benefitted the Chiefs, sparking outrage from fans and analysts alike.
Controversial penalty swings Chiefs-Texans game
Chiefs, led by Patrick Mahomes, secured a 23-14 win over the Texans in the AFC divisional round on Saturday. Mahomes was awarded multiple roughing-the-passer penalties throughout the game, including one in the third quarter where minimal contact occurred.
During the third quarter, the Texans were penalised 15 yards for what fans believe was “unnecessary roughness” after Mahomes slid near the 40-yard line.
Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, commentating on the game, openly criticised the call where two Houston defenders collided with each other while Mahomes slid.
“Oh, come on — I mean, he’s a runner,” Aikman was heard saying, according to NY Post. “I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit.”
ESPN rules analyst Russell Yurk supported Aikman, saying, “The two Houston players hit each other… that should not have been a foul.”
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Mahomes flops again? Fans demand action
“Texans defenders Henry To’oTo’o and Foley Fatukasi collided with each other while barely making contact with Mahomes,” one NFL fan commented on the video on X (Formerly Twitter). “Ref’s bailing them out over and over,” another chimed in. “Offensive diving should be an unsportsmanlike penalty.”
Brett Kollmann, an NFL analyst, remarked, “The league has to make flopping a foul. It’s not fair to defenders.”
The Texans, who ended their season as AFC South champions, were vocal about their dissatisfaction with the officiating as well. Coach DeMeco Ryans was asked about the ‘controversial’ call to which he reacted, “We knew going into this game, it was us versus everybody… the naysayers, the doubt, everybody we had to go up against.”
Will Anderson Jr., the defensive end bluntly said, “We knew it was going to be us against the refs going into this game.” The Chiefs will host the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium, facing the winner of the Ravens vs. Bills matchup.
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