The Houston Texans’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Saturday’s Divisional Round game was marked by controversy over referee calls. The team had eight accepted penalties, compared to four accepted against the Chiefs, including a pair of 15-yarders for hitting quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Defensive end Will Anderson cited roughing the passer on Mahomes as one of the key plays that went against his team. “We knew it was going to be us against the refs,” Anderson said. “I talked to you guys earlier this week, I’m like man, we gotta go out there and do us better.”
The penalties were just one part of a larger issue for the Texans, who struggled on offense, defense, and special teams. Quarterback C.J. Stroud was sacked eight times, and kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed two kicks.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans acknowledged that his team’s mistakes were not limited to referee calls. “We had a lot of self-inflicted mistakes,” he said. “Whether it was 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.”
The loss marked the Texans’ fifth consecutive playoff appearance, but their inability to overcome referee calls is a persistent issue for the team. Ryans expressed frustration with his team’s performance, saying “I’m walking out of here discouraged… We gotta be over that at this point in the playoffs.”
Source: https://www.nfl.com/news/texans-voice-dismay-with-officiating-following-23-14-divisional-round-loss-to-chiefs