The Kansas City Chiefs have made the AFC Championship Game in all seven of Patrick Mahomes’ years as a starter after beating the Houston Texans on Saturday evening. Mahomes and Travis Kelce showcased shades of their vintage selves as they picked up a 23-14 win over the bruised and battered Texans, but the win wasn’t without controversy.
The Texans were hit with eight penalties for 82 yards at Arrowhead, compared to the Chiefs’ four for 29 yards. Two of those penalties seemed to appear a little more controversial than most.
First, Will Anderson Jr. was called up roughing the passer on third-and-8 on a Mahomes incompletion in the third quarter. The Chiefs got a first down and converted the field goal to take the lead.
In the same quarter, Mahomes scrambled for a gain and slid down, leading to two Texans players colliding with each other. While there was a hint of contact on Mahomes, the Texans were flagged for unnecessary roughness. That drive ended with a Kelce touchdown.
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
Rapper Lil Wayne also tuned into the AFC Divisional Round matchup at Arrowhead and had more than a few things to say about the Chiefs.
I hate the cheating azz Chiefs,” he wrote in one tweet.
“It’s not even impressive when u cheat and then clearly try to cheat. Just win baby,” he wrote in another rant.
Houston Texans make their feelings known on refereeing controversy vs Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs
After the loss, DE Will Anderson Jr. took an aggressive stance, insinuating that they expected the referees to side with the Chiefs.
“We knew it was going to be us against the refs going into this game,” Anderson told reporters.
Running back Joe Mixon took a similar tone:
“Everybody knows how it is playing up here. You can never leave it in the refs’ hands. It is what it is. When it comes down to it, you can never leave it into the refs’ hands.”
Coach DeMeco Ryans echoed a similar train of thought, announcing that he knew it was going to be the Texans versus everybody.