Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes benefited from several 15-yard penalties Saturday. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Complaining about the Kansas City Chiefs getting all the calls has become a pastime for NFL fans. And NFL officials keep giving them reasons to complain.
What happened Saturday was more than just a venting of frustration among non-Chiefs fans. ESPN’s Troy Aikman wasn’t at all happy with the unnecessary roughness call on Patrick Mahomes that cost the Houston Texans 15 yards in an AFC Divisional Round game at Arrowhead Stadium.
Mahomes was running around but slid in at the last moment. Two Texans defenders collided and Mahomes narrowly missed, but the penalty was awarded against Houston.
It wasn’t the only time the Chiefs benefited from the call. There was a roughing the passer penalty on Will Anderson Jr. in the first half, and Anderson narrowly hit Mahomes. The hip-drop tackle against the Chiefs was not penalized, but officials rarely did so throughout the season. The call, when Mahomes ducked and barely missed the hit, was enough to infuriate Aikman.
“Oh, come on,” Aikman said on the air while making a phone call.
“He’s a runner. I don’t agree with that, he rarely gets hit,” Aikman said. “This is the second penalty called against the Texans.”
It’s worth noting that Aichman is a former quarterback. Usually they stick together, but the calling against Houston was so bad that Aikman had to stand up for his defensive players.
ESPN rules analyst Russell Yuk also said it was a bad decision.
“Troy, I agree with you. There was no forced contact in his head and neck area,” Yurke said. “Two Houston players hit each other, but that shouldn’t have been a foul.”
After this call, the Chiefs continued to move the ball downfield, and Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for a touchdown to take a 20-12 lead.
The Chiefs are a great dynasty. On Saturday, much of the discussion revolved around the number of calls from officials. That’s probably not what the league wants.