After taking down the Houston Texans last Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs are on their way to a seventh consecutive AFC Championship game.
As is the case with any dynasty, the Chiefs, and Patrick Mahomes in particular, are accused by many of getting advantageous calls from the officials. After being on the favorable side of a couple of penalties in the divisional round, NFL fans and players were out in full force, criticizing the officials.
Joe Mixon, the Texans’ starting running back, chimed in during his postgame presser: “Everybody know how it is, playing up here, you can never leave it into the refs’ hands. But I mean the whole world see what it is, bro. It is what it is.”
The narrative surrounding the Chiefs and the referees has become a significant talking point in NFL circles as we approach the conference championship — so much so that Mahomes had to publicly address the concerns.
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What did Patrick Mahomes say about flopping allegations?
It was more than one decision from the officials that stood out during Saturday’s game. Three different plays had fans up in arms.
It began midway through the first quarter when Mahomes dropped back to pass on third and long. The pass would fall incomplete, but a late flag came flying in at the end of the play. A roughing the passer penalty on Will Anderson Jr. extended the drive and allowed Kansas City to kick a field goal.
Will Anderson was called for roughing the passer on Patrick Mahomes on this play.#HOUvsKC | ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/bTn7Z5XoLZ
— ESPN (@espn) January 18, 2025
Mahomes didn’t comment on this play in particular, but public consensus is that this call was questionable at best.
Mahomes was able to pick up another free 15 yards in the third quarter after drawing a flag for unnecessary roughness. On this play, fans are accusing Mahomes of sliding late and “baiting” defenders to hit him.
Mahomes decides to slide late and 2 Texans hit into each other and get a flag for unnecessary roughness… pic.twitter.com/cCnChAoAkL
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) January 18, 2025
On this play, Mahomes simply explained that he was trying to avoid getting lit up by a larger defender.
“The one that everybody’s talking about where I fell down, it’s like I was just trying to get out of the way of getting smoked by the defensive lineman running in. So I’ll try to keep doing that and not take those hits because that’s the smart way to stay in the football game,” he said in his interview.
Can you really blame Mahomes here? The slide was late, but it is in his best interest to get out of the way and do what it takes to avoid taking big hits. The onus here is on the officials to recognize that Mahomes did not give himself up until the defenders were in the process of making the tackle.
The final moment that stirred the pot had nothing to do with the officiating and everything to do with Mahomes as he took a spill in an effort to draw another flag.
Patrick Mahomes flopping…
This should be a flag 🤦♂️pic.twitter.com/pFOUuGoEXz
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 18, 2025
Thankfully, no flag was thrown on this blatant flop. And Mahomes understands that he took it too far on this one.
“I would say that the only one I felt like I probably did too much was the one on the sideline where I didn’t get a flag and the ref saw it and didn’t throw a flag, and I understood it immediately, and know that I probably shouldn’t have done that,” Mahomes said.
With the questions of favoritism surrounding Mahomes and the Chiefs, all eyes will be on the officials when the Bills travel to Arrowhead on Sunday evening to play for a spot in Super Bowl 59.
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