Watch: Patrick Mahomes ‘flop’ in NFL play-offs condemned

Three-time Super Bowl champion and current broadcaster Troy Aikman led the chorus of criticism against superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes for ‘flopping’ in the Kansas City Chiefs’ controversial victory over the Houston Texans on Saturday.

Having seen the Texans flagged for roughness earlier in the National Football League play-off match, Mahomes appeared to throw himself dramatically to the ground during a fourth-quarter play which drew the ire of pundits and fans alike.

In ESPN’s commentary booth, analyst Aikman said: “He’s trying to draw the penalty. Rather than just run out of bounds, he slows down. And that’s been the frustration, and I get it. I understand it. That’s been the frustration for these defensive players around the league.”

The Texans were not penalised for the play, but that did not stop the tide of outrage on social media from fans exasperated by such antics in American football, with two separate calls earlier in the game in favour of the Chiefs adding to the sense of injustice.

Aikman had said he “could not disagree more” with the decision to penalise Houston’s Henry To’oTo’o and Folorunso Fatukasi for a hit on Mahomes in the third quarter, stating that the quarterback had become a “runner” during the play, meaning rules designed to protect the QB should not apply. ESPN’s on-air rules expert, Russell Yurk, also said he did not believe that the Houston players hit Mahomes as he fell, but rather they hit each other, with Mahomes underneath them. The Chiefs capitalised on the ruling and went on to score a touchdown to put them 20-12 up.

Earlier in the contest, Texans’ defensive end Will Anderson Jr also felt aggrieved when he was flagged for roughing the passer on an incomplete pass from Mahomes. That drive ended in a field goal to put the Chiefs up 6-3, and Anderson Jr was blunt in his post-match assessment, telling reporters that “we knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game”.

While NFL players can be penalised for unsportsmanlike conduct, there is no official rule against ‘flopping’ or ‘diving’ specifically. Aikman urged the NFL to change the rules, saying: “They’ve got to address it in the off-season.”

Kansas City won the match 23-14 to advance to the AFC Championship game, where they await the winners of Sunday’s match between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens. Also on Saturday, the Washington Commanders, and their rookie QB Jayden Daniels, pulled off a huge shock to reach the NFC Championship game with victory over top seeds the Detroit Lions. The Commanders will next face either the Los Angeles Rams or the Philadelphia Eagles.

Having won the two previous showcases, the Chiefs have the chance to go for an unprecedented third Super Bowl win in a row, with Mahomes chasing a fourth crown overall.

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