The dust from the Chiefs vs. Texans divisional game still hasn’t settled, but it looks like it will finally be put to rest. If not by the fans, then at least by the Texans players and the NFL officiating crew. This season, several wild theories came into the picture. Nothing topped ‘the refs helping the Chiefs.’ And the ‘Chiefs doing black magic‘ one. But all thanks to Philly, those narratives took a major hit on the evening of February 9. Meanwhile, the Texans and NFL officials were playing a game of their own. CJ Stroud‘s teammates, Joe Mixon and Will Anderson were punished by the officials for their salty remarks against the league.

Now, the NFL officiating crew has taken a U-turn on their decision. That’s right! After Joe Mixon and Will Anderson were fined $25,000 for their remarks, the Texans RB filed an appeal. Enter Chris Palmer, the NFL hearing officer, who overturned the punishment for both Mixon and Anderson in a statement issued on Tuesday. And former Texans DE J.J. Watt has loudly appreciated the league’s decision. “Loud with the criticism, loud with the credit. Have to give the league credit for correcting a clear mistake,” wrote Watt on X.

The refs’ calls that day divided the entire NFL. A lot of people felt that the refs were protecting the ‘golden boy’ Patrick Mahomes. Watt also weighed in, saying: “I think the two calls that everybody is talking about in the Chiefs game are justified… I was happy to see that they didn’t throw a flag on the sideline one, but those two calls aren’t the reason the Texans lost the game.”

The loss in the divisional round frustrated the entire Texans squad. But Mixon and Anderson were not mincing their words – even though JJ Watt regards that the loss had little to do with the calls. But both players voiced out loud what several others had been mumbling for a long time. And now, they’ve been vindicated.

CJ Stroud’s teammate wins against the officiating

“Everybody knows how it is playing up here. You can never leave it in the refs’ hands.” The message was loud and clear from Joe Mixon. The Texans RB’s statement further fueled the fire, and now the criticism against the league was louder than ever. After that, Will Anderson joined Mixon after the refs flagged him for a hit on Mahomes. “We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game,” said Will after the game.

So when the players themselves start calling out the refs like that, you know you’re cooked. And both Mixon and Anderson paid the price, with the league handing them punishment. Fast forward to today, and Chris Palmer has now overturned the decision. “After reviewing the totality of the evidence, I find that you did not necessarily publicly criticize the officials. Accordingly, for the reasons set forth above, the NFL will rescind the $25,000 fine,” read part of the public letter directed to Joe.

So now, it’s finally time to put this controversy to rest.