Officiating is always a hot-button topic during Kansas City Chiefs games.

Saturday's AFC divisional round matchup against the Houston Texans was no exception. The Chiefs won the game 23-14, but one of the biggest talking points afterwards were the two roughing the passer penalties called on Houston's defense.

The first was committed by Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. during Kansas City's second drive of the game. Officials claimed that Anderson made head-to-head contact with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Will Anderson was called for roughing the passer on Patrick Mahomes on this play.#HOUvsKC | ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/bTn7Z5XoLZ

— ESPN (@espn) January 18, 2025

After the game, Anderson said he knew the referees would be an obstacle that the Texans would have to overcome.

"We knew it was going to be us against the refs going into this game," Anderson said. "I talked to you guys earlier this week, I was just saying, man, we got to go out there and do much better. In some instances we didn't do that, in some instances we did."

Later in the second half, Texans linebacker Henry To'o'To'o was penalized for roughing the passer on a Mahomes' slide after a nine-yard run.

Henry To’oTo’o was called for a penalty after this hit on Patrick Mahomes. #HOUvsKC | ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/w4E4cSI3FF

— ESPN (@espn) January 18, 2025

Although he's on the offensive side of the ball, Texans running back Joe Mixon chimed in on the officiating after the game.

"Everybody knows how it is playing up here," Mixon said. "You can never leave it into the refs hands. But the whole world sees what it is bro. But it is what it is. When it comes down to it, you can't ever leave it into the refs hands and things like that. It's tough to pull out a win here at Arrowhead. Damn good team. The crowd they come with it each and every week. Especially in the playoffs the margin for error is super small. When it comes down to it, having won here, I know what it takes. It's things like not leaving it in the refs hands. It's things like us executing on offense or doing the little things on defense. It's a collected effort."

Although he hesitated to mention the referees specifically, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans implied that they knew they would have to overcome the officiating.

"We knew going into this game it was us versus everybody," Ryans said. "When I say everybody, it's everybody. All the [pauses], whatever. Everybody, the naysayers, the doubters. Everybody."

Accusing the referees of favoriting the Chiefs has become a popular trend by opposing teams, fans, and analysts every time K.C. takes the field. Reasons as to why derive from Mahomes being the face of the NFL, to tight end Travis Kelce being in a relationship with Taylor Swift and becoming a media star in his own right.

In regards to each roughing the passer penalty that was called against the Texans, there's no denying that they were controversial. However, the notion that Mahomes benefits from it more than any other quarterback just isn't true. The problem isn't with Mahomes or the Chiefs, it's with the NFL.

There is too much gray area with a lot of rules, and roughing the passer is one of the biggest examples. It's tough in real time to judge how hard somebody has been hit, and it's even tougher for a defender to completely stop his momentum while running at full speed.

As far as the Texans' complaints specifically, it's a tough sell that the Chiefs still wouldn't have won even if you take those two penalties away. K.C. dominated the fourth quarter in all phases, scoring 10 points, sacking Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud five times, and blocking a field goal.

Perhaps at some point it will be accepted that the Chiefs are just a really good team that is in the middle of a dynasty and has several future Hall of Fame players and coaches.

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