NFL fans fumed on Saturday as a would-be Patrick Mahomes fumble was overturned by referees – the latest example in what some consider to be special treatment from officials.
Mahomes had 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, referees quickly reversed the call in a massive way – ruling the play an incomplete pass and advancing Kansas City 15 yards up the field due to a roughing the passer call on Derek Barnett.
The linebacker did hit Mahomes in the facemask during the play, though it 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 enraged online
‘NFL referee saw Mahomes fumble and immediate threw the flag and called roughing the passer. It’s really getting embarrassing now,’ one account wrote on X.
Mahomes appeared to fumble during the second quarter of Saturday’s game vs. the Texans
However, the play was deemed incomplete – with 15 yards tacked on for roughing the passer
‘#NFL IS SOOOOOOOO RIGGED 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*** roughing the passer penalty against #Mahomes? Ridiculous!!! You can’t make this up.’
‘Rules change whenever little Patty plays,’ another cracked.
Another fan accused the league of ‘cheating,’ while others claimed that Barnett merely ‘grazed’ Mahomes’ helmet.
At least a couple of other fans were willing to defend the Chiefs passer.
‘thats roughing, but they need to be more consistent,’ one said.
‘He got elbowed in the face lol,’ another added. ‘I’m no Mahomes fan but the hate for him is weird.’
Fans and even players have criticized the NFL for supposedly favoring the two-time defending champions throughout this season.
Fans have accused Mahomes of receiving special treatment from referees this season
After a vital pass interference call went the Chiefs’ way in their win over the Bengals in September, the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons said Kansas City got an assist from the referees.
«That game was pretty crazy… a lot of calls went both ways, and I’m going to be honest… I felt like the refs did favor the Chiefs a little bit more,’ he said on his podcast, The Edge.’
The Giants’ Darius Slayton also criticized the NFL’s crackdown of on-field celebrations, pointing out how Mahomes, Juju Smith-Schuster and the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb were not penalized for performing a similar first-down celebration to him.
On the other hand, ESPN’s Mina Kimes shared a potentially surprising stat on Saturday: Chiefs opponents have been flagged for 17 penalties on third downs this season – which is below the league average.
