The NFL appears to be listening to officiating criticisms in the wake of a controversial penalty in the Kansas City Chiefs‘ divisional-round win over the Houston Texans.
Penalties stemming from quarterback slides are expected to become reviewable in the 2025 season through the NFL’s replay assist system, ESPN reported Saturday.
There were a few penalties and plays involving Patrick Mahomes that received scrutiny following the Chiefs’ win over the Texans. The most controversial of the three came in the third quarter, when Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o appeared to hit Mahomes at the same time he began to go down on a running play. However, most of his force was thrown toward his teammate on the play.
Even though Mahomes was a runner and the play was a bit of an awkward collision, To’oTo’o was flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty. The Chiefs got an automatic first down and later scored a touchdown on that drive to extend their lead to eight points.
That play would be reviewable if the NFL allows replay assist to reassess penalties on quarterback slides. The other controversial hits involving Mahomes, though, wouldn’t be. The first penalty the Texans were given for a hit on Mahomes was a roughing the passer call against Will Anderson Jr., who tackled the Chiefs quarterback up high after he threw a pass in the first quarter.
[Related: Patrick Mahomes doesn’t feel officials favor Chiefs]
The other play came on the same drive as the controversial penalty and it also involved To’oTo’o. In the fourth quarter, To’oTo’o pushed Mahomes as he was running along the sideline. The Chiefs quarterback seemed to exaggerate the contact, likely in the hope of garnering another unnecessary roughness. No penalty was called, so replay assist wouldn’t have been needed.
Mahomes took some ownership for embellishing the latter hit involving To’oTo’o a few days after the Chiefs’ win.
“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 told 96.5 The Fan. “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.”
NFL on FOX lead analyst Tom Brady was also among those to voice some concern over the penalty To’oTo’o was assessed for his hit on Mahomes in the third quarter, imploring the NFL to change the rules surrounding quarterbacks when they run down the field.
“When quarterbacks become running backs and they’re out of the pocket, they should lose their protection,” Brady said on “The Herd.” “We’re trying to protect the quarterbacks, but coaches are calling more quarterback runs than ever in the history of the game. So, who is protecting the quarterback? We’re trying to say the referees should do it?”
Replay assist has been a part of NFL games since 2021, allowing expedited reviews to switch obvious calls on the field. Currently, the spot after a play and whether a pass was completed or not are among the reviewable plays for replay assist. Penalties were allowed to be reviewable under replay assist beginning in the 2024 season, including intentional grounding, late hits out of bounds and hits up high to the quarterbacks.
The NFL’s competition committee will convene at the annual league meeting that is scheduled to take place March 30-April 2.
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