Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs advanced to their seventh-straight AFC Championship with a win over the Houston Texans on Saturday. However, the 29-year-old quarterback reignited an NFL rules controversy that dates back to at least October, if not years prior.
How should a defense treat a quarterback?
First and foremost, the Chiefs were gifted a first down during the first quarter. Texans defensive end Will Anderson was flagged for roughing the passer because he bumped into Mahomes just milliseconds after the ball left his hand. The penalty was questionable, at best.
Two quarters later, Houston was called for targeting even though Mahomes slid late. Troy Aikman was not happy with the decision because of the late slide and his role as a runner. He barely got hit.
"Oh, come on! I mean, he's a runner. I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit." – Troy Aikman
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 18, 2025
"The two Houston players hit each other. That should not have been a foul." – Russell Yurk
"They've gotta address it in the offseason…" – Aikman 🏈🎙️🦓 #NFL https://t.co/vXj2v7VTKg pic.twitter.com/QioQ5IQwhg
Not long thereafter, Mahomes tried to draw a penalty for a late hit by slowing way down as he ran out of bounds. It was also an obvious flop.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman can’t believe Patrick Mahomes flopped like this to try and create a flag, this is definitely getting out of hand 😳 pic.twitter.com/EhR17fvhQv
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) January 18, 2025
A pair of Houston defenders gave the 29-year-old an extra push right at the sideline. He flailed his arms and legs as he fell face-first to the ground.
Patrick Mahomes with a flop that would make Josh Allen proud pic.twitter.com/hJNFzmpV6J
— outbreezy (@outbreezyWC) January 18, 2025
Fortunately, NFL officials did not penalize the Texans. Unfortunately, there is no official rule for flopping.
These three incidents on Saturday reignite a controversy regarding Patrick Mahomes and NFL officials. The three-time Super Bowl MVP often receives preferential treatment. Defenses don’t know how to play against quarterbacks in general, let alone the best quarterback in the league and the referees.
Mahomes took advantage of the rules by pretending to run out of bounds against the 49ers in October. San Francisco’s defense let up to avoid a penalty, which allowed him to scramble for the biggest run of his entire career. Just one week later, Oakland’s defense was flagged for a late hit on Mahomes. Although it was the right call, Mahomes might’ve kept running like he did against the 49ers if the Raiders did not lay the boom.
All of these questions and concerns are back in the spotlight after the AFC Divisional Round on Saturday. How should a defense treat a quarterback? More specifically, how should a defense treat Patrick Mahomes? The NFL will need to address this reoccurring issue during the offseason.