The Kansas City Chiefs disposed of the Houston Texans in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. It was the Chiefs’ first game of the playoffs, as they enjoyed the bye week earned by clinching the number one overall seed in the AFC.
However, there is a narrative surrounding the Chiefs: The referees give quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his team preferential treatment, and Mahomes seems to be aware of the noise surrounding his team.
He even admitted to trying to trick the referees and use the treatment to his advantage against the Texans, although he expressed some regret for cheating the game.
“I would say the only one I felt like I probably did too much was the one on the sideline where I didn’t get the flag,” Mahomes said in an appearance on The Drive with Carrington Harrison.
“The refs saw it and it didn’t get a flag. I understood it immediately and know that I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
On the play in question, Mahomes slowed down near the sideline and fell over exaggeratedly as soon as he was touched by a defender. Mahomes went on to insist that the narratives surrounding Kansas City and the way they’re treated by officials are overblown.
“I’ve learned that no matter what happens during the game, something is going to come out about it if you win, if you continue to win. I don’t really pay attention to it. Obviously, I’ve been on both sides of it as far as how I’ve felt that calls were made.
“But at the end of the day, those guys are doing their best to make the best calls and keep it to where the players are making the plays in the game and that’s what decides the outcome.
“Obviously, there was a call here and there that people didn’t agree with, but at the same time I think there were a lot of other plays that decided the outcome of that football game.”
It’ll be interesting to see how the refs call the AFC Championship between the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.