The Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff clash against the Houston Texans started an outrage in the football world. NFL fans and analysts debated two penalties that heavily influenced the game. The refereeing decisions involving Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gave way to conspiracy theories accusing the NFL of favoring Kansas City.
Referee Clay Martin defended the decision, citing “forcible contact to the facemask area,” a ruling that extended a Chiefs drive, ultimately leading to a field goal. Later, an unnecessary roughness penalty during a Mahomes slide gifted Kansas City a touchdown, while video replays suggested that the Texans defenders collided with each other rather than the quarterback.
However, not everyone is buying into the drama, with one former NFL star trying to quell the masses.
Andrew Whitworth Plays Down Refereeing Controversies Surrounding Chiefs
Former NFL tackle Andrew Whitworth is calling for calm, asserting that the controversy is being exaggerated. One of the contentious calls came early when Texans pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. was flagged for roughing the passer after what appeared to be a routine hit on Mahomes.
Whitworth, however, dismissed claims of bias during an interview. “They’re on TV all the freaking time because they’re really freaking good. You just think you see more happening for them,” he explained. The former Bengals tackle stressed that penalties occur across the league, adding, “If you look at the statistics, they’re not as crazy as people make it out to be.”
He also defended the roughing the passer call, stating, “In this game, I thought it was crazy because if you look at the back view for the head ref in that game, there’s no chance you see that as anything other than a helmet-to-helmet hit because the guy went high when he hit Mahomes and his helmet launches backwards.”
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The Chiefs are chasing NFL history, eyeing a first-ever Super Bowl three-peat. Mahomes himself addressed the controversy. Speaking on “96.5 The Fan,” the 29-year-old QB brushed off the criticism, saying, “I’ve kind of learned that, no matter what happens during the game, something is going to come out about [the officiating] if you win.”
MORE: NFL Fans Convinced Refs Are ‘Cheating’ for Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Following Divisional Round
Mahomes acknowledged that while some calls could be disputed the outcome of the game was decided by player performances, not referee decisions. “I would say that the only one [where] I felt like I probably did too much was the one on the sideline where I didn’t get the flag. The ref saw it and didn’t throw a flag; I understood it immediately and know that I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
Kansas City won by a comfortable margin, but Andy Reid’s men remain under the microscope — though, Whitworth and Mahomes are urging fans to focus on the bigger picture.