HOUSTON – Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. wasn’t fined for his hit on Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
However, Anderson Jr. has been fined $25,000 by the NFL for criticism of controversial officiating calls from the AFC divisional round loss, according to a league source.
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Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon was fined $25,000 by the NFL for criticism of the officiating in this AFC divisional round loss at Arrowhead Stadium.
He is appealing the fine, according to his agent, Peter Schaffer.
Between Anderson being flagged for roughing the passer along with linebacker Henry To’oTo’o being penalized for unnecessary roughness as Mahomes was protected by calls, the Texans felt like they couldn’t catch a fair break during a frustrating loss as they outplayed Kansas City in several phases of the game.
Anderson and To’oTo’o weren’t fined for the hits.
“We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game,” Anderson said.
Those calls were affirmed by NFL supervisor of officiating Walt Anderson, but he did say these kind of calls will be reviewed during the offseason for potential changes.
On Monday, Anderson reacted to that development for the future.
“The type of player that I am, after the play, I didn’t go to the ref, I didn’t do none of that,” Anderson told KPRC 2. “I kept playing and I had a really great game. I didn’t let that affect me. I didn’t let that affect how I played. Me and DeMeco talked and I moved on. I’m not the type to chase calls. The NFL can do whatever they need to do. I feel as a player you keep playing. No matter what you say in an interview, that’s your opinion.
“You know what I’m saying? Some calls, in my opinion, could have been better calls, but that’s okay. That’s my opinion. At the end of the day, it’s about us. We have to do a better job of executing, we have to do a better job of being ready and no matter what the outcome we have to do a better job of handling Texans business on both sides of the ball.”
Texans reserve cornerback Kris Boyd was fined $8,056 for unsportsmanlike conduct for throwing his helmet across the field after forcing a fumble before exuberantly shoving special teams coordinator Frank Ross.
To be clear, the Texans lost the football game not just because of officiating. But a pair of drives extended by Mahomes ultimately led to 10 total points for the Chiefs as they advanced to the AFC championship game again as they chase a Super Bowl threepeat.
It was Anderson, who sacked Mahomes twice without flags and who was penalized in the second quarter for a high hit on the former NFL Most Valuable Player toward his neck and the bottom of his facemask as he threw incomplete to tight end Travis Kelce.
“I had forcible contact to the facemask area and so I went with roughing the passer on that play,” referee Clay Martin told a Houston pool reporter representative for the Pro Football Writers of America organization.
After halftime, Mahomes was scrambling and appeared to do a late slide as there was contact between the quarterback and To’oTo’o and defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi running into each other as well as their helmets struck each other. That led up to a touchdown pass from Mahomes to Kelce to boost the Chiefs’ lead to 20-12.
Mahomes appeared to slide late.
When asked about the slide and if that should be corrected, Anderson said: ‘Most definitely. For everybody’s safety. Quarterbacks are sliding to get hit, but their body is still up. I think it’s hard to judge a defensive player going full speed and him stopping.
“I think people think that’s easy and it’s not for huge bodies to stop. We just have to keep playing. We can’t worry about the calls. We can’t worry about the officiating. We have to play our brand of ball.”
“Yes, I have mentioned that before about the late slides,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Some things are just unfortunate and out of our control. It didn’t go our way today.”
Obviously, the NFL wants to prioritize protecting quarterbacks from injuries. It’s part of the game.
“He slid obviously, and when he slides, he is considered defenseless,” Martin told a pool reporter. “The onus is on the defender. I had forcible contact there to the hairline, to the helmet.”
When To’oTo’o was asked about the penalty, he replied: “It is what it is.”
Martin’s comment on the call was relayed directly to To’oTo’o by KPRC 2. He replied similarly: “It is what it is. They’re going to call it and it’s whatever.”
Ryans didn’t directly criticize the officials. His comment was more nuanced.
“We knew going into this game, man, it was us versus everybody,” Ryans said. “And when I say everybody, it’s everybody. Knowing that going into this game, what we were up against, 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 and keeping him clean. You married that on top of everything else that we have to deal with, it’s just going to be a really tough uphill battle.”
Mixon was fined for the following comment.
“Everybody know how it is, playing up here, you can never leave it into the refs’ hands,” Mixon said. “But I mean the whole world see what it is, bro. It is what it is. It’s all good, though.”
The NFL confirmed the fine was applied and it was for the above comment when it reissued the punishment to Mixon.
Mixon expanded on that comment hours later.
“So let me get this straight NFL fines me 25k for something I didn’t even say,” Mixon said. “Call them out for it, and they response was fine me AGAIN for something that’s not even a violation without even rescinding the first one. Where’s the accountability? Just respect the players. Cold.”
And Schaffer weighed in on social media, too, writing: “NFL needs to treat its players with more respect. Just saying.”
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Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh wrote on social media: “Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with the Chiefs. These officials are (trash cans) & bias.”
That quote was incorrectly connected to Mixon in an online article, but that comment about “50/50″ was then attributed to Mixon in the original fine letter that was updated.
“I’m getting fined by the @nfl for what someone else said,” Mixon wrote. “What’s next? I get fined by them for Connor McDavid cross checking an opponent on a @nhlgame! & really tried to fine me 4 the max that’s mind blowing”
When Boyd delivered a two-handed shove to the chest of Ross, the boisterous display of emotion created a lot of confusion.
Boyd shoved Ross as he headed toward the sideline after taking off his helmet and throwing it across the ground on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium during the Texans’ AFC divisional round playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, which drew an unsportsmanlike conduct.
Boyd characterized the situation as a big misunderstanding, emphasizing he would never disrespect his coach.
That explanation has been accepted by Ryans, who remains critical of Boyd for not maintaining his composure and being penalized to start the game after forcing a fumble on a kickoff return and not realizing his team hadn’t recovered the loose football.
“Seeing the play from Boyd, we gave up the long run to start the game, which is not what we wanted to do, missed a couple tackles there,” Ryans said Monday. “Looking at it again, you see Boyd gets the ball out, and I think he thought that we recovered the ball and that he made a big-time play to get the ball back for our teams. It’s something we talked about for our special teams going into this game, is like, ‘Let’s affect the game by getting the ball.’
“Boyd thought that he did that, got the ball back, and he came over with the excitement, overly excited that he made a play, but we can’t lose our minds in that sense of taking our helmet off, we still have to remain poised. You cannot take your helmet off in a game. Everyone knows and understand the rules. So instead of helping us, it ended up hurting us. I don’t think he was pushing Frank in a disrespectful manner. I think it was more, so he was fired-up, overly fired-up and thought he made a play to help us. So, that narrative that he’s pushing a coach, that is incorrect.”
After Chiefs kick returner Nikko Remigio fumbled the football on a tackle from Boyd, the cornerback said he thought the Texans got possession. Instead, the Chiefs recovered the loose football and Boyd was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct to set up a field goal during the opening drive of the game.
As Boyd headed toward the sideline toward an irate Ross, he shoved the coach. It was out of enthusiasm, Boyd emphasized, not because of any ill will at all toward the popular, enthusiastic assistant coach.
“I was just too excited,” Boyd said. “I did something I shouldn’t have done. I shouldn’t have done it, keep my helmet on.”
Boyd said he was happy that he forced the fumble and that was why he threw the helmet, which is highly illegal and potentially dangerous.
“I was turnt,” Boyd said. “That first play, kickoff, they thought they had a big play and I got the ball out and, as I’m getting up, I look at the screen and I see nothing but white (jerseys) and they’re all pointing (Texans’ way). So, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, we got the ball, too. Turnover.’
“I was just turnt. You can see I ran up to everybody getting ready to shake their hands, but then someone grabbed me like, ‘Nah, it’s not good. They got a flag and it’s their ball.”
Boyd has a reputation as an emotional player ever since his high school days at Gilmer and at the University of Texas.
Ross is known for his feisty nature, too.
Ultimately, Boyd said he had zero bad intentions toward Ross.
“I had talked to him and apologized,” Boyd said. “I was like, ‘I got a turnover,’ and he said, ‘Nah, that’s not why I was coming to talk to you.’ He was telling me you can’t do things like that, keep your composure. Let’s lock in, let’s play smart.”
What’s the lesson learned?
“Play smart,” Boyd said.
As for his exchange with Ross, Boyd got upset when it was suggested that he had crossed the line with his coach.
“That’s not in my character,” Boyd said. “I love everybody here. I love my coaches. I would never disrespect anybody. I love Frank. I’m a God-fearing man. I respect everybody in that building.”
Boyd said he was able to refocus and he remained in the game.
Boyd sounded surprised and a bit chagrined that it was thought he was out of line.
“That’s football, that’s one 10-second thing,” Boyd said. “I would never disrespect anybody in here. Y’all see me every day in the locker room, do I do that?’ So, don’t ask me questions and try to … I’m not that type of guy. Y’all can’t do that. I love everybody. Like I said, I was lit, I was turnt, I thought we had a good play. I apologize to everybody, I apologize to Frank. He said, ‘Don’t worry about that.’ I was just trying to get my point across. Y’all know that. You see me every day.”
After the game, Ryans said he didn’t have knowledge of Boyd pushing Ross, was not happy with the antics from Boyd.
“We can’t come out on the first play and throw our helmet,” Ryans said. “We understand that’s silly. That’s not what we teach, that’s not what we’re about at all,” the Texans coach said. “For us to be here in this moment and to throw our helmet? We know the rules and we know we can’t do that. It just puts us in a negative light to start the game. We give them a big return, we take our helmet off to add 15 more yards to the play, it’s just not smart football.
