Patrick Mahomes got away with another one.
During a first quarter drive in the Kansas City Chiefs’ divisional round matchup against the Houston Texans, it looked as though Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense had been forced into a three-and-out.
But the celebrations of the Texans defense were cut short as a flag on the play gave Kansas City an automatic first down. The call? Roughing the passer on Will Anderson Jr., who made contact with Mahomes just after he released the ball.
While it looked like Anderson might have made helmet-to-helmet contact with Mahomes from some angles, it was pretty light—and the ESPN booth was quick to voice their disagreement with the decision.
“It looked like that first contact was to the upper chest area. I didn’t see anything there that supported a foul,” said rules analyst Russell Yurk when asked about the call.
“I agree with you, Russell,” Aikman said. “From that angle there, I don’t see helmet-to-helmet. Big time penalty.”
ESPN rules analyst Russell Yurk: “It looked like that first contact was to the upper chest area. I didn’t see anything there that supported a foul.”
Troy Aikman: “I agree with you, Russell. From that angle there, I don’t see helmet-to-helmet… A big-time penalty.” #NFL pic.twitter.com/xt2nmDPqfg
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 18, 2025
Close calls like this happen every week in the NFL, and officiating the most scrutinized sports league in the world is far from an enviable job, but whenever one of these calls leaves Mahomes with an edge on the field, the response is sharper than usual.
Houston fans who bring up the play this week will also be likely to note that the Chiefs are a perfect 6-0 record in games officiated by head referee Clay Martin.
Kansas City was able to take advantage of the extended possession, turning the drive into a field goal to take an early 6–3 lead.
