Patrick Mahomes: Referees don't show favoritism to Kansas City Chiefs

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Despite rampant criticism from fans from rival fanbases, quarterback Patrick Mahomes says he doesn't think the Kansas City Chiefs receive more favorable calls than other NFL teams.

Mahomes' comments came days after the Chiefs beat the Houston Texans in the divisional round to secure a trip to the AFC Championship game for the seventh-consecutive year.

The Chiefs were penalized four times in Saturday's victory. The Texans received eight penalties, including several that resulted in crucial first downs for the Chiefs.

The performance of the referees triggered a surge of social media backlash and comments from Texans players and head coach DeMeco Ryans.

"I don't feel that way,'' Mahomes told reporters Wednesday, when asked if he thinks the Chiefs get more calls from referees than their opponents. "I just try to play football at the end of the day, the referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and as proper as they possibly can.

"And all you can do is go out there and play the game that you love as hard as you can and live with the results. For me, it's going out there, play hard and try to do whatever I can to when the football game and live with the results based off my record and the way we played the game.

"I think that's what we preach here in Kansas City."

NFL teams were penalized 1,777 times at home this season, compared to 1,831 times in road games.

Clete Blakeman will be the head referee for the AFC Championship game, when the Chiefs host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in Kansas City, Mo. Blakeman called a league-high 134 penalties against home teams this season. He called 118 penalties against visitors. On average, 54.2% of all calls went against road teams during 2024-25.

The Chiefs were called for the same number or fewer penalties than their opponents in 15 of their 19 playoff games, including each of their last 11 postseason appearances in the Mahomes Era, which started in 2019.

The Chiefs were penalized 36 times for 319 yards over their last 11 games, compared to 66 penalties for 541 yards for their foes.

"I haven't felt any different," Mahomes said. "You get new referees every year. You get new circumstances, and you never can really tell because every play's different and that's what makes the NFL so special. I feel like I've just continued to play the game, and I just try to win, and whatever happens kind of happens.''

Mahomes completed 16 of 25 passes for 177 yards and a score in the Chiefs' 23-14 win over the Texans. He drew ire from NFL fans when he flopped on the sideline in the fourth quarter, pretending as though he was thrown to the ground by Texans defenders.

Mahomes took off for a 2-yard gain on that play. He did a pump fake with the football, mimicking a throw, before jogging out of bounds.

Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter and linebacker Henry To'oTo'o pursued the quarterback on the play, To'oTo'o made slight contact with Mahomes after he went out of bounds. The Chiefs quarterback responded by throwing up his right arm and flinging his body to the ground, an obvious attempt to draw a flag from officials.

The referees did not penalize the Texans for that contact.

"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 said on 96.5 The Fan. "The ref saw it and didn't throw a flag, I understood it immediately and know that I probably shouldn't have done that."

NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson defended the calls during an appearance Sunday on NFL Network.

"I've kind of learned that no matter what happens during the game, something is going to come out about [the officials] if you win, if you continue to win," Mahomes said when asked about officiating during the Chiefs-Texans game.

"I don't really pay attention to it. Obviously, I've been on both sides of it as far as how I've felt that calls were made. But at the end of the day, those guys are doing their best to make the best calls and keep it to where the players are making the plays in the game, and that's what decides the outcome.

"Obviously, there were calls here and there that people didn't agree with, but at the same time, I think there were a lot of other plays that really decided the outcome of that football game."

The Chiefs will host the Bills at 6:30 p.m. EST Sunday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.