A Black Mark on the NFL: Officiating Controversy Tarnishes Chiefs’ Win
NFL officiating unfortunately overshadowed what was a great divisional playoff round. There were two controversial unnecessary roughness penalties called against the Houston Texans during their 23-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The first was roughing the passer on Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. on a hit against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and the other was a late hit on Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, also against Mahomes on a nine-yard rush.
Many fans, analysts, and Texans players were outraged over both calls, but former NFL Senior VP of Officiating Walt Anderson said that each of them were correctly enforced. After the game, Anderson Jr., running back Joe Mixon, and coach DeMeco Ryans sounded off over their displeasure with the officiating.
While he didn’t specify Houston or any of its players, Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson had this to say on X following K.C.’s win.
“I miss when grown men took they losses like a man a new day and ago though…”
Regardless of which side you’re on, I think we can all agree the NFL has had significant officiating issues for many years. But it’s tough in real time for referees to judge how hard someone has been hit, and it’s even tougher for a defender to stop his momentum while running at full speed. Hopefully at some point a middle ground can be found between both points.
In regards to the Texans-Chiefs game specifically, it’s a tough sell to me that Houston would have won that game even if those calls never happened. K.C. dominated the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points, sacking quarterback C.J. Stroud five times, and blocking a field goal.
