NFL Responds to Mahomes Penalty Debate With Replay Expansion

For all the success of the Chiefs in recent years, there have also been complaints about quarterback Patrick Mahomes’s ability to draw favorable penalty calls. There may be some reprieve on the way for those who have called foul.

The NFL is expected to include the quarterback slide in its list of plays eligible for replay assist, according to ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter. The league added replay assist in 2021 to aid with calls, including a complete or incomplete pass and determining the spot of the ball. Starting this season, the NFL added replay assist to review plays following a thrown penalty flag. 

The report comes a week after a controversial penalty call during the third quarter of the divisional round game between the Chiefs and Texans. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes scrambled out of the pocket and slid as two Texans defenders collided on top of him. Houston was dealt a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness despite most of the contact being dealt between the two Texans players.

“I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit,” ESPN analyst Troy Aikman said on the broadcast. “They’ve got to address that in the offseason.” 

Tom Brady and Drew Brees have also advocated for the NFL to make some officiating changes this offseason.

Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. criticized the referees after the game. “We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game,” Anderson Jr. said. He was fined $25,000 by the NFL for his comments.