Patrick Mahomes has responded to claims that NFL referees favor the Chiefs, saying that officials are ‘doing their best’ to make correct calls.
The notion that the two-time defending champions receive preferential treatment from referees has persisted all season long, with even Cowboys star Micah Parsons criticizing officials.
But following the Chiefs’ divisional round win over the Texans – in which Houston was twice penalized for roughing calls on Mahomes – the quarterback broke his silence on the perceived bias in favor of his squad.
‘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 on 96.5 The Fan, per the Kansas City Star.
‘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.’
In one controversial play last weekend, Mahomes drew an unnecessary roughness penalty when he was hit by Henry To’oTo’o.
After dropping the snap, Mahomes scrambled for a short gain before deciding to give himself up while Folorunso Fatukasi and To’oTo’o were quickly approaching.
ESPN’s Troy Aikman blasted the call on air.
‘Oh, come on! I mean, he’s a runner,’ he said. ‘I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit.’
ESPN rules analyst Russell Yurk agreed with the former Cowboy: ‘The two Houston players hit each other. That should not have been a foul,’ he said.
Houston’s Will Anderson Jr. was also assessed a controversial roughing the passer penalty for hitting Mahomes in the first quarter.
However, referee Clay Martin told a pool reporter after the game that both roughing penalties were correctly called.
Mahomes was also slammed by fans and analysts for ‘flopping’ in the second half on Saturday.
With Kansas City leading just 13-12 in the fourth quarter, Mahomes ran out of bounds on 2nd-and-goal but decelerated before stepping out.
The two-time MVP was then shoved out of bounds by To’oTo’o before raising his arms in the air and falling to the ground.
No flag was thrown on the play but Aikman was again incensed.
‘He’s trying to draw the penalty. Rather than just run out of bounds, he slows down,’ Aikman said.
‘And that’s been the frustration and I get it. I understand it. That’s been the frustration for these defensive players around the league.’
Mahomes and the Chiefs will host the Bills on Sunday as they look to reach their third straight Super Bowl.
