Following Saturday’s defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, Texans star Will Anderson Jr. voiced his thoughts, drawing significant attention within the NFL. Despite the Texans not committing any turnovers and outpacing the Chiefs in several statistics—dominating time of possession (33:26 to 26:34), first downs (18 to 14), and total yardage (336 to 212)—they fell victim to penalties. Houston faced eight penalties totaling 82 yards, while Kansas City incurred only four penalties for 29 yards.
In a post-game interview, Anderson candidly remarked, “We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game,” H/T Will Kunkel of KRIV, Houston’s Fox affiliate. His comments resonated, particularly as a couple of critical flag calls stood out, both occurring during Kansas City possessions leading to scoring drives after hits against quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Will Anderson: “We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game.” pic.twitter.com/FReVbYspl5
— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) January 19, 2025
The first penalty involved Anderson being flagged for roughing the passer after an incomplete third-down pass, allowing the Chiefs to convert the drive into a field goal. Analysts Russell Yurk and Troy Aikman both expressed their disagreement with this call, pointing out that without it, Kansas City would have faced a fourth-and-long scenario just short of midfield, likely altering the scoreline.
Latter in the game, Houston’s Henry To’oTo’o faced a penalty for a late hit following a scramble by Mahomes. Again, Yurk and Aikman questioned the legitimacy of the call, with Aikman suggesting a re-evaluation of the relevant rule during the offseason. The Chiefs ultimately scored a touchdown on that drive, but it’s noteworthy that the penalty transformed what would have been a four-yard gain on first down. This makes it difficult to predict the outcome had the penalty not been called.
While Anderson’s remarks were direct, they echoed the sentiments of his coach, DeMeco Ryans. It’s important to acknowledge that the loss wasn’t purely a result of officiating errors; not every penalty against the Texans was unwarranted. Nonetheless, both Ryans and Anderson can anticipate hearing from the league about their comments, as their frustration is certainly justifiable.
