Refs Missed Illegal Tackle During Saturday's Chiefs vs. Texans Game
01/18/2025 06:04 PM
The officiating crew for this Saturday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans had a rough first half, that's for sure.
Early in the first quarter, Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City's offense got bailed out on a questionable roughing the passer penalty. Texans pass rusher Willie Anderson didn't really make contact with Mahomes' head/neck area, but the officials penalized him for his hit. That gave the Chiefs a fresh set of downs and a chance to build their lead.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the only officiating mistake in the first half. Chiefs safety Bryan Cook got away with a hip-drop tackle on Texans tight end Dalton Schultz. Even though that's been a major point of emphasis this season, the referees completely missed this illegal move from Cook.
Here's what the rulebook says:
A hip-drop tackle will result in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first-down if a player uses the following technique to bring a runner to the ground
1. Grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms and
2. Unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner's leg(s) at or below the knee.
As you'd expect, NFL fans ripped the officials for missing Cook's hip-drop tackle on Schultz.
This is a textbook example of a hip drop tackle not called on the #Chiefs...pic.twitter.com/kkHc2fCk9w
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 18, 2025
"Holy smokes, I didn't realize in the moment," one fan tweeted. "That was so clear."
"It was obvious too," another fan wrote. "This is ridiculous."
"It's not even worth complaining at this point… Nothings gonna change," a third fan said.
"No one's surprised it wasn't called, it's the Chiefs," a social media user said in response to the missed penalty.
The Chiefs had a 13-6 halftime lead over the Texans thanks to a strong start from Travis Kelce. He already has 72 receiving yards.
If the Chiefs take care of business in the second half, they'll advance to their seventh straight AFC Championship.
The second half of the Chiefs-Texans game is being televised on ESPN.
Related: NFL Refs Accused Of 'Rigging' Playoff Game For Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes
