After seeing the Houston Texans penalized for a hit against Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, ESPN’s Troy Aikman expressed that it might be time for a rule change. The controversial play occurred late in the third quarter of Saturday’s Divisional Round playoff game. With Kansas City in shotgun formation, Mahomes dropped the snap but quickly recovered. However, it turned into a busted play as Mahomes took off running, gaining four yards before awkwardly sliding to the ground. Both Folorunso Fatukasi and Henry To’oTo’o from Houston dove toward him, leading to To’oTo’o being flagged for unnecessary roughness.
Referee Clay Martin hadn’t even completed his announcement before Aikman criticized the decision. “Oh, come on,” Aikman exclaimed as Martin detailed the penalty. “I mean, he’s a runner. I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit.”
“Oh, come on! I mean, he’s a runner. I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit.” – Troy Aikman
“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
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 18, 2025
Aikman also noted this penalty was the second controversial call against the Texans, referencing an earlier flag that awarded the Chiefs a first down after Houston seemed to have forced a punt. He highlighted multiple issues with the call on To’oTo’o: first, Mahomes was indeed a runner and while he did slide, it wasn’t a conventional slide since he wasn’t moving forward when he did so. Second, as analyst Russell Yurk pointed out, Mahomes didn’t take the brunt of the hit as Fatukasi and To’oTo’o collided instead.
“The two Houston players hit each other,” Yurk stated, asserting that it should not have been a foul. Aikman echoed the sentiment, urging the league to reconsider such penalties in the offseason. “They’ve gotta address it in the offseason,” he said, asserting that quarterbacks should not be able to manipulate defenders to draw penalties.
A later scramble by Mahomes drew additional commentary from Aikman. After a short gain, Mahomes approached the sideline and, as play-by-play man Joe Buck noted, “kind of flopped” out of bounds after contact with To’oTo’o. This time, however, the attempt did not result in a penalty. Aikman remarked, “He’s trying to draw the penalty. Rather than just run out of bounds, he slows down. And that’s been the frustration—I understand it—for these defensive players around the league.”
More from Aikman.
“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.” https://t.co/rzfAXSaz6o pic.twitter.com/LilHhaI2Bh
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 18, 2025
