The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs kicked off on Sunday evening with the Houston Texans taking on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. With only Stefon Diggs or Tank Dell to call upon, the Texans were up against it from the beginning against a well-rested Chiefs team. And if that wasn’t enough, there was more than a little shade of controversy during the game. The Texans were hit with eight penalties in all for 82 yards as opposed to the Chiefs, who got called for four penalties for 29 yards. Two of Houston’s eight penalties were up for scrutiny.
An incident involved Patrick Mahomes trying to sell a hit from the Texans’ Henry To’oTo’o in the fourth quarter as the Chiefs QB went airborne in an effort to draw a flag. Troy Aikman and Joe Buck were on the broadcast, and the former wasn’t too impressed with the Chiefs QB’s move.
Patrick Mahomes with a flop that would make Josh Allen proud pic.twitter.com/hJNFzmpV6J
— outbreezy (@outbreezyWC) January 18, 2025
The incident soon went viral on social media and former Green Bay Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert also took notice of Mahomes’ flop. Benkert, who played for the Packers during the 2021 season, penned a three-word tweet calling out the reigning Super Bowl champions: “Flopping ass mf.”
Flopping ass mf 😂 pic.twitter.com/kajdNSGx94
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) January 18, 2025
On replay, Patrick Mahomes appeared to stop just before running completely out of bounds to draw contact. The hit followed, pushing him off the field. Mahomes then waved his arms to denote he had been hit late.
Controversial penalties Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs win over Texans
Mahomes’ flop came in the fourth quarter, but it was the third quarter that sparked controversy. The Texans were hit with two roughing-the-passer penalties that sucked all momentum off their defense.
First defensive end, Anderson Jr. was called for roughing the passer on third-and-8, which led to a Mahomes incompletion. The first down that followed saw the Chiefs convert a field goal to take the lead.
Then, two Texans players collided with each other, drawing unnecessary roughness flag. That drive finished with a vintage Mahomes-to-Kelce touchdown, putting some daylight between them and the Texans.
There was no shortage of biting remarks from the Texans after the game. Head coach DeMeco Ryans, Anderson, and running back Joe Mixon all insinuated that they knew they would be up against the referees in this matchup at Arrowhead.
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