Remember that last regular-season game earlier this month? Yeah, didn’t think so—because this postseason came crashing in like a full-blown tsunami. But hold up, we’re not talking about jaw-dropping plays or highlight-reel moments. We got plenty of those in the regular season. Nope, this time, it’s all about the penalty controversies stealing the spotlight. And let’s be real—at this point, it feels like every game serves up a fresh dose of drama. Or should we say, that every Patrick Mahomes‘ Chiefs game comes with its own penalty plot twist?

Take the Chiefs vs. Texans divisional round, for instance. It was one of the most heated rivalries of the season that left everyone with different POVs. But for the Texans, it was “Us vs. everyone.” The reason? Those couple of penalties for roughing the passer involving the Chiefs’ QB. But at the end of the day, the NFL defended the officiating crew’s decisions as correct. And not just the NFL, the NFL legend, Troy Aikman also had a similar take on this.

But here’s the catch: Aikman blasted the refs for those penalty calls during the divisional round that involved Mahomes. Now, he justified his aggression during his appearance on SI Media with Jimmy Trains podcast. When asked, “Have you heard anything from the NFL or from ESPN about you were too aggressive or too strong in your analysis,” Aikman gave a straightforward answer. “No, I never have. I’ve never heard from the league.”

“Quite honestly, I don’t think I’m being naïve, Jimmy. I don’t really feel like I ripped the officials, you know. I kind of get tagged with that. I’m not, I’m, you’re right in the sense that I’m not afraid to acknowledge when I don’t agree with a call. I think that’s my job, I think, you know, I try to be as honest with that as I can be. I don’t think that I’m reckless or careless, in that opinion.” 

The thing is, the Texans‘ linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, was flagged by the referees for roughing the passer for a hit on Patrick Mahomes late in the third quarter. Following that, Aikman didn’t hold his back and blasted the refs over that decision. “Oh come on,” Aikman said. “I mean, he’s a runner. I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit… You can’t, as a quarterback, run around and play games with defenders and be able to draw a penalty.”

Since then, his comment has been twisted into something else—as if he was calling out the league for giving Mahomes special treatment. However, the former Cowboys legend cleared his stance after mischaracterization of his comments.

Troy Aikman on Mahomes getting special treatment

Let’s be real: it’s not the first time that Patrick Mahomes is called out for getting a preferential treatment, right? I mean, the Chiefs vs. Texans was just another example of this debate. The AFC championship round between the Bills and the Chiefs is still fresh. Of course, that fourth-down short ruling didn’t involve Mahomes, but it did involve the Kansas City Chiefs. Once Again!

That’s when Troy Aikman comes in with a better explanation over the controversy and fans calling out the decisions. “Quite honestly, the hit on Mahomes…I just did an interview and a guy says that, you know, he mis-characterized my comments in that game and he said that I was saying that Patrick Mahomes gets preferential treatment,” Aikman continued. “I never once said that. I don’t believe that at all, I don’t think Patrick Mahomes gets preferential treatment, I don’t think Tom Brady got preferential treatment.

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The Chiefs get 8 sacks against the Texans and figured out how not to hit him in the head or...more

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“There is an idea amongst the fans that when a team’s really good, like New England was in the 90s, like Kansas City is now, that those teams get the benefit of doubt. Do they? May be at times, but when they do get the benefit of doubt, then there’s this conspiracy theory like, oh yeah, see, that’s what happens. So the hit on Mahomes, in real time, I thought it was the right call. You know, it looked like it was a helmet to helmet. And we’ve seen it a million times.”

So, while the debate rages on about whether the Chiefs—and Mahomes in particular—get a little extra love from the refs, it’s clear that perceptions vary widely. But let’s be real—this whole ‘do the refs favor the Chiefs or is it just part of the game?’ debate isn’t dying down anytime soon. After all, officiating will always have its gray areas.