Broadcaster Troy Aikman said the NFL had to address penalties like the one Patrick Mahomes drew with his controversial slide last weekend. Looks like he’s getting his wish.
The league is expected to expand replay help this offseason to plays that could include the quarterback slide, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Playback assistance, in which remote officials assist with on-field calls, was instituted before the 2021 season and expanded before the season to cover situations such as hit fouls on players going out of bounds, blowing the quarterback heads and the intentional base. This would add the quarterback slide to the mix, and Mahomes provided a big boost during the divisional round against the Houston Texans.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback grabbed headlines when he rushed, slid and took contact off of two defenders, drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty despite receiving little contact.
Aikman didn’t like it, ESPN analyst Russell Yurk didn’t like it, the broader NFL fan base didn’t like it, and Texans definitely didn’t like it.
“Oh, come on! I mean, he’s a running back. I couldn’t disagree with that more. He barely gets hit.” -Troy Aikman
“The two Houston players hit each other. That shouldn’t have been a foul.” -Russell Yurk
“They have to address it in the offseason…” – Aikman #NFL https://t.co/vxj2v7vtkg pic.twitter.com/qioq5iqwhg
– Horrible Announcing (@awfuleNeNuncing) January 18, 2025
Aikman’s reaction:
“Oh, come on…he’s a running back. I couldn’t disagree with that more and he barely gets hit. That’s the second penalty now that’s been called against the Texans.
“They have to address it in the offseason. You can’t, as a quarterback, run and play plays with defenders and then be able to draw a penalty.”
He continued to harp on Mahomes attempting to draw a flag later down the road, which saw the Chiefs score a touchdown in a 23-14 victory. Mahomes later said, “I probably shouldn’t have done that” in a play he was criticized for failing.
More from Aikman.
“He’s trying to draw the penalty. Instead of just running out of bounds, he slows down. And that’s been the frustration and I get it. I get it. That’s been the frustration for these defensive players in the league.” https://t.co/rzfaxsaz6o pic.twitter.com/lilhhai2bh
– Announcing Horrible (@awfuleNeNuncing) January 18, 2025
As Aikman mentioned, Mahomes Drew’s flag was one of multiple controversial calls against the Texans that game, continuing a long-running debate over whether the Chiefs are receiving favorable treatment from officials due to Mahomes’ status, not unlike Tom Brady. before him.
However, while the NFL says it could rework how it handles plays like Mahomes’ slide, NFL officiating and rules analyst Walt Anderson got on the actual call this week, saying that because Mahomes’ helmet advanced in the work, justified an unnecessary harshness penalty. However, he also acknowledged that there would be “conversations” this offseason about what such sanctions are called.
Quarterback slides have become a controversial area of rules in recent years, with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen also standing as a model for fake slides. Any fan base will be enraged when a quarterback gains 15 extra yards for medium contact, or a different quarterback tricks his defense by exploiting a rule, but the NFL is always going to err on the side of protecting its most valuable position.
Regardless, the Chiefs and Bills are scheduled to begin the AFC Championship Game at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
(Tagstotranslate) Patrick Mahomes (T) Troy Aikman (T) NFL (T) Houston Texans (T) Unnecessary roughness (T) Horrible announcement (T) Russell Yurk (T) Roughness penalty (T) Kansas City Chiefs (T) Tom Brady