NFL legend Champ Bailey was among those glued to the television when he saw the controversial penalties called on the Houston Texans during their playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes drew two penalties that had the entire NFL world talking on Saturday and nearly drew a third as he was accused of flopping out of bounds on the sidelines as the Chiefs drove down the field.
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes slides in front of Houston Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o during the fourth quarter of the AFC divisional round playoff game in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 18, 2025. (Denny Medley-Imagn Images)
Bailey, a former Denver Broncos and then-Washington Redskins star cornerback, was upset with the penalty flags on the two plays, particularly the one in which Mahomes tried to slide at the last minute before he was met by two Texans defenders. Houston linebacker Henry To’oTo’o was called for unnecessary roughness on the play.
“It’s like everything else. They review everything,” he said. “So, when they’re able to go back and look at these type of plays, like the play I think you’re referring to on [Saturday] when he drops to the ground and then the guys go over him, don’t even hit him, but they appear to. You should be able to review that [on] some level and say, well, that wasn’t as egregious as we thought in real time, because those things change the trajectory of the game. You really change the outcome now.
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Champ Bailey partnered with Truelieve. (Truelieve)
“Defenders are hesitant to hit him, but here he is. He’s dancing around, toying around with the guys and making it seem like he’s the runner and then drops down, and now he’s protected like a quarterback. Once you’re outside of the pocket, man, it’s fair game. I don’t know why he’s protected when he’s outside of the pocket the way he was, because if he was the running back and did the same thing, do you think they throw the flag? No, they don’t.”
Bailey, who spoke to Fox News Digital on behalf of his partnership with cannabis company Trulieve, said he’s started to empathize with fans who think NFL games are supposedly “rigged” or favor Mahomes in some way.
All he’s asking for is some consistency.
“So, let’s be consistent in that way, and when you get it wrong, try to get it right,” Bailey said. “I think the more they can get calls right in real time, the integrity increases in the game and people start to believe that the games aren’t fixed.
“I don’t feel like the games are fixed because I was in it, but when I’m sitting here every year – I’m out of the league – the more and more I start believing what the fans are saying about the games being ‘fixed,’ because you see things like this happen over and over, so they just got to figure out a way to get the calls right and live with it.”
Mahomes said Wednesday he didn’t believe officials favored the Chiefs.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gets ready before the AFC divisional round playoff game against the Houston Texans. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
“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 proper as best they can,” Mahomes said. “For me, it’s go out there, play hard, try to do whatever I can to win the football game and then live with the results based on my effort and how I play the game, and that’s what we preach here in Kansas City.”
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Kansas City meets the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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