KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr., the situation was really all too clear. And the talented pass rusher didn’t mince words when asked about controversial officiating decisions in the Texans’ 23-14 AFC divisional round playoff loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Between Anderson being flagged for roughing the passer along with linebacker Henry To’oTo’o being penalized for unnecessary roughness as Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes was protected by calls, the Texans felt like they couldn’t catch a fair break during this frustrating loss at Arrowhead Stadium where they outplayed Kansas City in several phases of the game.
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“We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game,” Anderson said.
To be clear, the Texans lost the football game not just because of officiating. But a pair of drives extended by Mahomes ultimately led to 10 total points for the Chiefs as they advanced to the AFC championship game again as they chase a Super Bowl threepeat.
“Everybody know how it is, playing up here, you can never leave it into the refs’ hands,” running back Joe Mixon said. “But I mean the whole world see what it is, bro. It is what it is.”
It was Anderson, who sacked Mahomes twice without flags and who was penalized in the second quarter for a high hit on the former NFL Most Valuable Player toward his neck and the bottom of his facemask as he threw incomplete to tight end Travis Kelce.
“I had forcible contact to the facemask area and so I went with roughing the passer on that play,” referee Clay Martin told a Houston pool reporter representative for the Pro Football Writers of America organization.
'We're a young team. We're still learning. We're going to continue to make strides. As long as we do that, we'll get over the hump' #Texans Will Anderson Jr., big picture perspective after loss to #Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/fUsp0NkjM4
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 19, 2025
After halftime, Mahomes was scrambling and appeared to do a late slide as there was contact between the quarterback and To’oTo’o and defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi running into each other as well as their helmets struck each other. That led up to a touchdown pass from Mahomes to Kelce to boost the Chiefs’ lead to 20-12.
Mahomes appeared to slide late.
“Yes, I have mentioned that before about the late slides,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Some things are just unfortunate and out of our control. It didn’t go our way today.”
Obviously, the NFL wants to prioritize protecting quarterbacks from injuries. It’s part of the game.
“He slid obviously, and when he slides, he is considered defenseless,” Martin told a pool reporter. “The onus is on the defender. I had forcible contact there to the hairline, to the helmet.”
When To’oTo’o was asked about the penalty, he replied: “It is what it is.”
Martin’s comment on the call was relayed directly to To’oTo’o by KPRC 2. He replied similarly: “It is what it is. They’re going to call it and it’s whatever.”
Ryans didn’t directly criticize the officials. His comment was more nuanced.
“We knew going into this game, man, it was us versus everybody,” Ryans said. “And when I say everybody, it’s everybody. Knowing that going into this game, what we were up against, we can’t make the mistakes that we made. Whether it’s special teams not converting our kicks. Defensively, not being where we’re supposed to be in coverage. Offensively, not protecting our quarterback and keeping him clean. You married that on top of everything else that we have to deal with, it’s just going to be a really tough uphill battle.”
The Texans lost despite holding Mahomes to 177 yards and Kansas City to 212 yards of total offense. The Texans are now the only team in NFL playoff history to lose a game despite outgaining their opponent by over 100 yards -- the Texans finished with 336 yards of total offense led by quarterback C.J. Stroud -- breaking a streak of 49 wins and no losses before Saturday.
“Be honest, go back and watch the game,” Anderson said. “It’s what I told y’all earlier this week. It was nothing they did. It was all us. Busted alignments, out of place, we can’t have that if we want to beat teams like this. Granted, they are a good team, don’t get me wrong, but I felt like we were the better team, but we shot ourselves in the foot again. We have to find some way to get us over this hump and stop making the same mistakes over and over and over again.
“We can’t be lackadaisical with anything. We’ve got to stay on edge with everything and Coach Ryans says it’s all the time. I feel like too many guys are comfortable, and I don’t like comfortable. We’re going to roll into the offseason and keep getting the right guys in the building and keep this thing rolling. I’m excited about it. We get another (opportunity). We have C.J. as our quarterback and he’s the best. I believe in him and I think he’s going to lead us to a Super Bowl one day.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
