It is exhausting sufficient to beat Patrick Mahomes underneath regular circumstances. It would as properly be not possible when he is getting a pleasant whistle.
The Chiefs have been usually criticized for getting the good thing about the doubt from NFL referees. That noise solely grew on Saturday within the divisional round against the Texans.
Houston has been on the improper facet of the flag all afternoon, as referee Clay Martin’s crew referred to as eight accepted penalties on the Texans and simply three on the Chiefs as of early within the fourth quarter.
Troy Aikman hasn’t held again in going after Martin’s calls, sounding off following an pointless roughness penalty on Henry To’oTo’o for successful on Mahomes late within the third quarter.
“Oh come on,” Aikman stated. “I imply, he is a runner. I couldn’t disagree with that yet one more. He barely will get hit.”
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Russell Yurk, the principles analyst on the ESPN broadcast, agreed with Aikman’s evaluation of the play.
“The 2 Houston gamers hit one another,” Yurk stated. “That ought to not have been a foul.”
Aikman, clearly irritated on the name, stated the league wants to deal with that within the offseason. It wasn’t the primary time the previous participant and longtime NFL officiating government agreed on Saturday.
Within the first quarter, Kansas Metropolis benefited from a 15-yard penalty for roughing the passer on the Texans’ Will Anderson Jr.
The hit did not seem to warrant a flag as there was no contact to the top space of Mahomes.
“It seemed like that first contract was to the higher chest space,” Yurk stated. “I did not see something there that supported a foul.”
“I agree with you, Russell,” Aikman added. “From that angle there, I do not see helmet-to-helmet. That is a big-time penalty.”
The Chiefs would accept a discipline objective on that drive, giving them a 6-3 benefit within the first quarter. Though the later penalty on To’oTo’o occurred on first down, Kansas Metropolis nonetheless ended that drive with a landing.
Houston has been plagued all sport by particular groups woes, making an already slim margin for error seemingly nonexistent.
With out the whistle working of their favor, that mountain to climb solely grew to become steeper.