Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. voiced his frustration with the officiating in Saturday’s 23-14 AFC divisional round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, claiming that the NFL referees were biased against his team.
Anderson highlighted two controversial penalties on the Texans’ defense, both called after hits on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The penalties extended Kansas City’s drives and resulted in 10 crucial points for the Chiefs.
“We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game,” Anderson said after the game.
The first penalty came during the Chiefs’ second drive, when Anderson was flagged for roughing the passer after hitting Mahomes on a third-down incomplete pass to tight end Travis Kelce. Anderson appeared to make contact with Mahomes in the upper neck area, though referee Clay Martin ruled it as “forcible contact to the face mask area.” The resulting penalty led to a field goal that put the Chiefs up 6-3.
Later, in the third quarter, Mahomes scrambled and slid on a first down, only to draw another penalty when Texans defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi and linebacker Henry To’oTo’o collided with him. The penalty, which Martin explained as “forcible contact” to Mahomes’ hairline and helmet during his slide, resulted in a fresh set of downs and a touchdown, increasing Kansas City’s lead to 20-12.
Despite Anderson’s frustration, head coach DeMeco Ryans acknowledged that self-inflicted mistakes, including poor execution on special teams, contributed to the Texans’ inability to advance to the AFC Championship Game.
“We knew going into this game, man, it was us versus everybody,” Ryans said. “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.”
The Texans’ special teams made several blunders throughout the game. On the opening kickoff, a 63-yard return by Kansas City’s Nikko Remigio was compounded by an unsportsmanlike penalty on Houston’s Kris Boyd. That gave the Chiefs favorable field position, resulting in a field goal. Later, kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed an extra point and a field goal, further hindering the Texans’ chances.
Offensively, Houston’s quarterback, C.J. Stroud, was under constant pressure, enduring a career-high 23 dropbacks and taking eight sacks. Stroud was blitzed frequently, particularly in the fourth quarter, when 56% of his dropbacks were under duress. Despite the adversity, Stroud rushed for 42 yards and managed a few key third-down conversions. However, the Texans were unable to overcome their mistakes.
“I think I tried my best to do that today,” Stroud said. “I think I made a lot of plays in general today, but we just couldn’t finish.”
Ryans echoed the frustration, saying the Texans’ inability to execute in critical moments ultimately led to their downfall. Despite outgaining the Kansas City Chiefs by over 100 yards, the Texans became the first team in NFL history to lose a postseason game after such a yardage advantage without turning the ball over.
“We can’t continue to shoot ourselves in the foot and then not overcome it and expect to win,” Stroud added.
While the Houston Texans’ playoff run came to an end, Anderson’s comments and the team’s struggles in key areas have sparked conversations about their potential moving forward.
