Patrick Mahomes has guided his team to a seventh straight AFC Championship Game appearance after defeating the Houston Texans. However, this victory is not without controversy.
The main gripe for Texans players and the fanbase is a pair of roughing calls against Houston, including one on defensive lineman Will Anderson Jr, who later commented on the refs’ potential bias. Mahomes’ former teammate Mitchell Schwartz hit back.
Mitchell Schwartz Covers for Patrick Mahomes After Will Anderson Jr.’s Comments
The Chiefs defeated the Texans comfortably, 23-14. However, during the game fans had started campaigning against the refereeing and many others joined after the game ended.
In the aftermath, the Texans became the first team in NFL playoff history to have 100 more yards than their opponents, have zero turnovers, and still end up on the losing side. Previously, all 49 teams had won in these situations.
After the dust settled, the Texans’ defensive end created a furor by taking to the media. “We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game,” Anderson said. These comments created a media thunderstorm.
After the game, Aaron Wilson reported the referee’s justification for calling the penalties in the first and third quarters. For the first foul, official Clay Martin said, “I had forcible contact to the facemask area, and so I went with roughing the passer on that play.”
For the penalty in the third quarter, Martin stated that the onus was on the defenders since Mahomes was sliding. “So, he slid, obviously, and when he slides, he is considered defenseless. The onus is on the defender. I had forcible contact there to the hairline, to the helmet,” he said.
Pool report from #NFL on officiating of roughing the passer calls against #Texans his full explanation @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/IPQWau0wEt
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 19, 2025
Building on this, former Chiefs offensive lineman Schwartz took to X (formerly Twitter) and hit back directly at Anderson’s claims. The 2020 Super Bowl winner attached a photo of Anderson’s tackle on Mahomes from the first quarter to solidify his claims.
“If you ‘knew’ that was the case [that it was the refs vs. Texans] why didn’t you lower your strike point and hit him in the midsection? Serious question. You hit him up high where it gets dicey in real time for refs to tell if there’s contact to the head. By rule this is a penalty, crown of helmet on facemask,” he posted.
If you “knew” that was the case why didn’t you lower your strike point and hit him in the midsection? Serious question. You hit him up high where it gets dicey in real time for refs to tell if there’s contact to the head. By rule this is a penalty, crown of helmet on facemask. https://t.co/01BM6eB9zV pic.twitter.com/jjSgRyF8dB
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) January 19, 2025
Several present and past footballers have spoken up on this issue from different sides. It seems unlikely that the topic is going to die down. On the other hand, the Chiefs are preparing for their AFC Championship game against the winner of the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Buffalo Bills.