Any idea that Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are getting special treatment from officials, at least according to Mike Pereira, is just an “absolute myth.”
Pereira, a longtime NFL official and former vice president of officiating for the league, appeared on The Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday and spoke with Eisen about takes from fans who think that Mahomes and the Chiefs are receiving some sort of special treatment from officials in key games. That take erupted this past weekend when Mahomes drew a controversial unnecessary roughness call in their win over the Houston Texans — which secured a return trip to the AFC championship game.
“It doesn’t resonate with me at all. … The fact that you’re looking out for anyone, any team, any individual is a myth. It is an absolute myth,” Pereira, who is currently working as Fox Sports’ rules analyst, told Eisen on Tuesday. “You don’t have time to react and say, ‘This is Goff, I’m not going to call this because it’s Goff,’ or, ‘This is Mahomes, I’ve got to call this because it’s Mahomes.’”
Mahomes, late in the third quarter Saturday, went to scramble for a first down before giving himself up at the last second. A pair of Texans defenders collided with Mahomes, though he was barely hit. Still, officials awarded Mahomes an unnecessary roughness penalty that kept their drive alive.
Both Troy Aikman and Joe Buck, who were calling the game for ESPN, were livid.
“Oh, come on! I mean, he’s a runner. I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit.” – Troy Aikman
“The two Houston players hit each other. That should not have been a foul.” – Russell Yurk
“They’ve gotta address it in the offseason…” – Aikman 🏈🎙️🦓 #NFL https://t.co/vXj2v7VTKg pic.twitter.com/QioQ5IQwhg
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 18, 2025
That was one of several instances in that game where the Chiefs seemed to benefit either from a call, or the lack of a call. Will Anderson Jr. got hit with a roughing the passer penalty in the first half after he barely hit Mahomes, and the Chiefs got away with a hip-drop tackle.
“Both of those in my opinion should’ve been passed on,” Pereira said on The Rich Eisen Show. “I understand why they were called because we are in a time of protection of quarterbacks and pretty much everybody, but when the league came out and defended them … that doesn’t mean they want them to be called.”
While the penalties against the Chiefs weren’t as clear cut as they could’ve been, it doesn’t mean much now. Mahomes and the Chiefs still won the game, and will now host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in an attempt to make it back to the Super Bowl and win a third consecutive championship.
And as for fans who think they know how to officiate while sitting at home on the couch with instant replay available to them, Pereira isn’t here for that either.
“It doesn’t bother me because those people who say that don’t know a damn thing about officiating,” Pereira said. “Until you actually put the uniform on, and until you have to make those quick judgments … if you haven’t done it, and you don’t recognize how hard it is in real time and how easy it is in super slow motion, then get out of my train. Get off my train, I mean it.”
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