Fans left seething over ’embarrassing’ Patrick Mahomes call as they fume Chiefs were ‘bailed out’ again
NFL fans were outraged Saturday when a supposed Patrick Mahomes fumble was overturned by the officials — the latest example of what some consider special treatment from officials.
Mahomes appeared to fumble in the Chiefs’ own territory in the second quarter, with the Texans scooping up the live ball and returning it for a touchdown.
However, the officials quickly reversed the call in a massive manner, ruling the play an incomplete pass and moving Kansas City 15 yards down the field due to a roughing call from the passer on Derek Barnett.
The linebacker did hit Mahomes in the facemask on the play, but that was after the ball had left the quarterback’s hands.
Ultimately, the 13-play drive ended in a touchdown for Kansas City, and fans were outraged online
“The NFL referee saw Mahomes fumble and immediately threw the flag and yelled at the passer. It’s getting really embarrassing now,” says one account wrote on X.
Mahomes appeared to fumble during the second quarter of Saturday’s game against the Texans
However, the play was deemed incomplete – with 15 yards taped for roughing the passer
“#NFL IS SOOOOOOOO SET FOR THE #CHIEFS!”, another raged. “How does a fumble recovery for a touchdown for the #Texans magically transform into an incomplete pass and a bulls*** vacating the passer penalty against #Mahomes? Ridiculous!!! You can’t make this up.’
“Rules change when little Patty plays,” another cracked.
Another fan accused the league of ‘cheating’, while others claimed that Barnett merely “grazed” Mahomes’ helmet.
At least a few other fans were willing to defend the Chiefs passer.
“That’s pre-processing, but they need to be more consistent,” one said.
“He got elbowed in the face lol,” another added. “I’m not a Mahomes fan, but the hate for him is weird.”
Fans and even players have criticized the NFL for allegedly favoring the two-time defending champions this season.
Fans have accused Mahomes of receiving special treatment from referees this season
After a crucial pass interference call went the Chiefs’ way in their win over the Bengals in September, the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons said Kansas City got assistance from the officials.
“That game was pretty crazy… a lot of calls went both ways, and I’ll be honest… I felt like the referees favored the Chiefs a little bit more,” he said on his podcast, The edge.’
The Giants’ Darius Slayton also criticized the NFL’s crackdown on on-field celebrations, pointing out how Mahomes, Juju Smith-Schuster and the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb were not punished for executing a similar first down party like him.
On the other hand, ESPN’s Mina Kimes shared a potentially surprising statistic on Saturday: The Chiefs’ opponents have been marked for 17 penalties on third downs this season — which is below the league average.