NFL officials faced heavy criticism for some of the penalties they called during the four divisional round games that saw the Chiefs, Bills, Eagles, and Commanders advance to the conference championships.
However, one play that didn’t result in a penalty could become very important if the NFL decides to follow the NBA and NHL in addressing flopping, a point raised by ESPN broadcaster Troy Aikman during the Texans-Chiefs game.
Currently, NFL players can be penalized for “unsportsmanlike conduct,” but there is no specific rule against flopping. Aikman suggested the league should address this issue after discussing the Chiefs’ 23-14 victory over the Texans.
During the game, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes benefitted from a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty, where two Texans players collided after Mahomes slid late. On the very next play, Mahomes appeared to exaggerate his reaction to a light tap from linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, in an attempt to draw another penalty to help the Chiefs’ drive.
As Mahomes scrambled to his left and approached the sideline, he slowed down before going out of bounds. When To’oTo’o made slight contact, Mahomes threw himself dramatically to the ground, hoping to get a penalty called. However, the officials didn’t buy it, and neither did Aikman, who was vocal about his frustration.
Aikman said, “He’s trying to draw the penalty. Rather than just run out of bounds, he slows down. 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.”
Earlier in the same drive, Aikman had already disagreed with another penalty called on To’oTo’o and defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi. Both defenders collided and made incidental contact with Mahomes after he slid late.
Aikman expressed his disagreement with the roughing-the-passer penalty, saying, “I could not disagree with that one more, and he barely gets hit,” and pointed out that Mahomes shouldn’t be given the same protection as a quarterback still in the pocket once he becomes a runner.
Aikman also criticized the late flag thrown by referee Clay Martin, saying it was a questionable call. Aikman emphasized that the league needed to address these types of calls in the offseason, adding, “They’ve gotta address it in the offseason.”
ESPN rules analyst Russell Yurk also agreed that no penalty should have been called on either of these plays. After the game, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans suggested that his team expected biased officiating against them. He said, “We knew going into today it was us versus everybody. And when I say everybody, it’s everybody.”
Yurk also disagreed with a roughing-the-passer penalty on Texans pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. in the first quarter, which led to a field goal by Kansas City. He argued that Anderson’s contact with Mahomes was to the chest area, not the head or neck. Yurk said, “I didn’t see anything there that supported a foul.”
Referee Martin explained his decisions to the media after the game. He said that on the penalty against Anderson, the contact was to Mahomes’ face mask, while on the penalty against To’oTo’o, Mahomes was considered a defenseless player after his slide. Martin explained, “I had forcible contact there to the hairline, to the helmet.”
Walt Anderson, the NFL’s senior vice president of officiating, supported the calls, stating that both penalties were correct under the current rules. Anderson clarified that there could be some debate about whether Anderson’s hit was roughing the passer, but he said the league’s rulebook calls for a flag if there’s any doubt.
On the play with Mahomes, Anderson said that the defenders’ contact was incidental, and replay assist couldn’t help reverse the flag. He also mentioned that the league’s competition committee could revisit the rules for both penalties in the offseason.
Aikman, for one, expressed the desire for the NFL to address flopping more directly, saying it was an issue that should be dealt with in the future.
