As the Kansas City Chiefs secured another divisional round win over the Houston Texans on Saturday, the spotlight once again shifted to the officiating. Like throughout the season, the Chiefs benefited from a few controversial penalties called against the Texans.
On Saturday, much of the attention was on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who drew multiple unnecessary roughness and roughing the passer penalties that raised concerns. ESPN analyst Troy Aikman voiced his frustration with the calls during the broadcast, while Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans had mentioned before the game that it would be “us vs. everybody,” including the referees.
However, the NFL defended its decisions the following day. NFL rules analyst Walt Anderson, a former referee and now a communications liaison for the league, spoke on NFL GameDay on Sunday to explain the calls.
Anderson first addressed a roughing the passer penalty in the first quarter. On a third-down play, Mahomes was tackled by Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. just after releasing the ball. The penalty resulted in 15 yards and a first down, leading to a field goal for the Chiefs.
Anderson explained that the penalty was called because Mahomes’ head moved slightly on the tackle, indicating possible contact with his helmet.
“If there’s contact to the head of the quarterback, that’s probably going to be called by the officials,” Anderson said.
He clarified that replay assist can only be used if there is no contact with the helmet. Since Mahomes’ helmet was hit, officials could not use replay to confirm if the contact was forcible.
“You can end up having to debate about whether you felt it was forcible or not, and that’s going to be one of those conversations for the competition committee to consider next year,” Anderson added.
Anderson also emphasized that roughing the passer is one of the few penalties where referees are instructed to call the foul “when in doubt.”
“They’re gonna protect the quarterbacks,” Anderson said, referring to the officials’ approach.
The analyst also addressed an unnecessary roughness penalty in the third quarter, when Mahomes slid late, causing two Texans defenders to collide. “Whether it seems like it or not, officials have to call it based on what they see,” Anderson said.
He further explained that since Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o’s helmet grazed the top of Mahomes’ helmet while he was already on the ground, it was enough to call the penalty, regardless of the severity of the contact.
“Even if replay assist could help in that, when there’s contact like that, that’s not gonna be changed,” Anderson said.
Looking ahead, Anderson stated that the goal of improving officiating is to make the game better, not necessarily perfect.
“This is one of those areas that is also going to be debated, in terms of what’s forcible, what’s not,” Anderson said. “But the game is not ever going to be perfect, and one thing we don’t want to do is let perfect be the enemy of good. … In those areas that are gray, and may be debatable, we have to leave those on the field.”
He added that the NFL will address expanding when referees can use replay assist during the offseason.
