The NFL stands by its officiating decisions in the Chiefs’ recent game, stating the penalties against Mahomes were justified and correctly called.
Kansas City: So, the Chiefs had another wild game against the Texans, right? But guess what? The talk of the town was all about the officiating again. It seems like every week, the refs are in the spotlight, and this time, it was all about a few calls that went against Houston.
Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ star quarterback, was at the center of it all. He drew a bunch of penalties, including some pretty questionable unnecessary roughness and roughing the passer calls. Even Troy Aikman, the ESPN analyst, was fuming about it during the game. Texans’ coach DeMeco Ryans even said it felt like it was “us vs. everybody,” including the refs.
But hold on! The NFL came out the next day and said they got it right. Walt Anderson, a former ref and now an NFL rules analyst, explained everything on NFL GameDay. He said the officials made the right calls based on the rules.
Anderson broke down the first roughing the passer call. Mahomes got tackled just after throwing the ball, and his head moved a bit, which led to the penalty. He mentioned that if there’s any contact with the quarterback’s head, the refs are likely to throw a flag.
He also talked about another call for unnecessary roughness. Mahomes slid late, and two Texans players collided. Anderson said that even if it looked harmless, the refs have to call what they see. If there’s any helmet contact, it’s a penalty, no matter how minor.
Anderson emphasized that the goal is to improve officiating, not to make it perfect. He mentioned that there will always be gray areas in the game, and some things will be up for debate. But at the end of the day, they want to keep the game safe for the quarterbacks.
So, it looks like the NFL is sticking to its guns on this one. They’re planning to discuss how to improve the use of replay assist in the offseason. It’s a never-ending conversation in the world of football!