Sunday’s AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills delivers an iconic matchup between two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. It could also be the last time Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen receive quite the same leeway with officials as they’re accustomed to.
In the Chiefs’ Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans, Mahomes drew two controversial calls for hits on him by Texans’ defenders. The penalties played a role in Kansas City’s win and prompted conspiracies that the NFL wants to see one of the best NFL dynasties ever pull off a historic three-peat.
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While many NFL fans have been critical of the seemingly favorable treatment Mahomes receives from referees, especially regarding roughing the passer calls, stats tell a slightly different story. As highlighted by Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, Allen draws a much higher rate (0.936) of roughing the passer calls per 100 pass attempts than Mahomes (0.636). Both, however, have developed reputations of being ‘flop artists’ who exaggerate the effect of hits to generate penalties. That might change next season.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the NFL is expected to expand to approve the expansion of replay assists this offseason. If the measure goes through, one new inclusion will be making quarterback slides reviewable.
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If approved, it would mean hits that are deemed late and unnecessary when quarterback slides could be reviewed by the replay assists. If it is determined that the quarterback slid late, forcing the defender into a hit near the head or neck area, the call could be overturned and the penalty wiped out.
Furthermore, per Schefter, elements such as reviewing hits along the sideline before a player heads out of bounds could be put under review. Mahomes has developed a reputation for making his way toward the sideline and appearing as if he’ll step out, only to cut back inside for additional yards.
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If the new replay rules are approved, which has significant support from inside the league, then late slides and taking advantage of late hits near the sideline could no longer be as effective in drawing penalties as they are now. While these penalties were initially put in place to protect quarterbacks, the seeming abuse of the rules’ intention and the public criticism might now force the NFL to make adjustments.