Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes finally addressed the elephant in the room, offering up his personal take on the perception that NFL referees are helping his team in their quest for a third straight Super Bowl title.
The officiating issue has been lingering for years, particularly this season when the Chiefs won a vast majority of their games (15 Ws) by one score or less. When games had the potential to hinge on a beneficial call or two. It blew up when fans realized the NFL was actively cheering Taylor Swift’s participation in their game.
But it really came to the forefront during Kansas City’s 23-14 victory in the AFC divisional playoff game this past weekend against the Houston Texans. The Texans had twice as many flags thrown their way, one of which that stood out was a 15-yard personal foul call against Texan defenders for a hit on Mahomes.
Problem being, neither defender touched the opposing quarterback. And even the normally reserved Texans signal-caller CJ Stroud gave a backhanded critique of the officiating.
“I’m not gonna go back and forth on what I thought was a call when it wasn’t a call. It’s one of those things you kind of notice before you walk in that arena,” Stroud said. “I can’t argue with the ref, and at the same time, play football.”
Texans QB C.J. Stroud was asked about the officiating vs Chiefs:
— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) January 19, 2025
"One of those things, you know what's up before you walk into the arena."
"I can't argue with the ref and at the same time play football. I gotta go do my job." pic.twitter.com/HBtrUIlO5Y
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes Comments On The Refs
During the loss, the Texans were hit with twice as many flags for nearly three times as much penalty yardage as their opponent. Stroud’s teammate, defensive end Will Anderson Jr., was more blunt with his assessment.
“We knew it was going to be us against the refs going into this game,” Anderson, who himself was hit with a roughing the passer call, said.
In an interview with 96.5 The Fan, Patrick Mahomes finally remarked on the controversy.
“I‘ve kind of learned that no matter what happens during the game, that something’s going to come out about it if you win and you continue to win, so I don’t really pay attention to it,” Mahomes said.
“I mean, obviously I’ve been on both sides of it as far as how I felt the calls were made, but at the end of the day, man, those guys are doing their best to make the best calls and keep it to where the players are making the plays in the game. And that’s what decides the outcome.”
Mahomes wasn’t running for yards. He was intentionally trying to bait a flag for 10 seconds and the refs fell for it…. pic.twitter.com/PCI8U8kX55
— Zach Rosas (@ZachRosas2) January 18, 2025
RELATED: Texans QB CJ Stroud Raises Eyebrows Over Comments About Referees and The Kansas City Chiefs
Is He Right?
Sure Patrick Mahomes, you’ve dealt with refs before. But you haven’t been on the other side of things in a long, long time.
“Obviously there was a call here or there that people didn’t agree with, but at the same time, I think there was a lot of other plays that really decided the outcome of that football game,” he added.
Which is a ridiculous defense. I remember Patriot fans making the same argument during the Tom Brady ‘tuck rule‘ debacle. ‘If only the Raiders made a defensive stop, they’d have still won the game,’ they’d insist.
Except, they did make the stop. With a play on the field. When they forced a fumble.
Teams running up against the 11 players on the field, plus the officiating crew, would be making more plays that decide the outcome of the game if Mahomes wasn’t being handed a free 15 yards several times per game.
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