Of all the times Patrick Mahomes could be accused of receiving preferential treatment from referees, this didn’t seem like one of them.
ESPN color analyst Troy Aikman accused the officiating crew of favoritism toward the Chiefs quarterback during the team’s 28-7 home victory over the Commanders on “Monday Night Football.”
The Chiefs were up three scores in the fourth quarter when Commanders defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton swept up Mahomes at the 8-yard line, pushed him back toward the end zone and flung him to the ground.
Newton was charged with unnecessary roughness, and the Chiefs received an automatic first down.
Breaking down what appeared to be a routine call, Aikman, the legendary Cowboys QB and current ESPN analyst, questioned the ruling — and accused the refs of coddling the two-time MVP.
“It wasn’t a lot, but with that said, when it comes to quarterbacks — especially this one — they’re gonna protect them,” Aikman said. “And [Newton] does a great job, he gets back there, it’s just a lot of frustration coming out on his part.”
It feels common for superstars to get friendly calls now and then, especially a three-time Super Bowl champion like Mahomes.
But this wasn’t one of those instances, and Aikman’s longtime broadcast partner, Joe Buck, quickly shut down the speculation that Mahomes received special treatment on the play, saying it was an “easy call.”
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“An obvious flag and [Commanders head coach] Dan Quinn can only shake his head,” Buck said.
With just over six minutes remaining in the fourth, the penalty did little to affect the final score.
Mahomes rebounded from a pair of first-half interceptions to finish with 299 yards (on a 74 percent completion rate) and three touchdowns — connecting with Travis Kelce for the tight end’s 83rd career touchdown reception in the regular season, which tied Priest Holmes for the most total touchdowns in franchise history.
The Chiefs (5-3) will ride a three-game winning streak into Buffalo for an AFC Championship rematch against the Bills (5-2) on Nov. 2.
