Troy Aikman and fans furious over Patrick Mahomes penalty hit

NFL fans were mortified when referees called an unnecessary penalty on the Texans in the third quarter of Saturday’s AFC Divisional Round game against Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City – a game the Chiefs won 23- 14.

Even analyst Troy Aikman and rules expert Russell Yurk, on the ESPN call, were in disbelief at the flag.

“Oh, come on, I mean, he’s a runner,” Aikman lamented. “I couldn’t disagree with that one more. He’s barely touched.

“Both Houston players hit each other,” said Yurk, a former NFL official. “It shouldn’t have been a foul.”

“They need to fix this in the offseason,” Aikman added.

Yellow flags flew on the play — a first-and-10 from the Chiefs’ 35-yard line — after Mahomes got out of the pocket and briefly turned around on the field.

As several defenders closed in, he slipped near the 40-yard line.

The quarterback slide was quick and the two closest Texas defenders left their feet at virtually the same time as Mahomes.

Those defenders — Henry To’oTo’o and Foley Fatukasi — made far more contact with each other than with Mahomes, who, at the time of their collision, was already on the field below them.

The match broadcast showed a photo of Houston defenders with their palms facing up in disbelief.

This sentiment was echoed across the country by fans on social media.

“I never really hated the Chiefs until now. Ref saves them again and again, Mahomes flailing like an English Premier League striker…” one X user wrote.

“Offensive diving should be an unsportsmanlike sanction,” said another.

“Future Narrator: They didn’t talk about it in the offseason,” a third wrote in reference to Aikman’s remark.

The score was 13-12 at the time unnecessary roughness was called, and the penalty gave Kansas City another set of downs and brought the offense 15 yards closer to the end zone.

Mahomes and company reached the promised land nine plays later – capping the 13-play, 81-yard drive with a touchdown to extend their lead to eight points.

The Chiefs will face the winner of Sunday’s Ravens-Bills game next week in the AFC title game.