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Troy Aikman, Davante Adams call out NFL officials after flag thrown on controversial Patrick Mahomes hit

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels10/28/25ChandlerVessels

Late in Monday night’s game between the Chiefs and Commanders, commentary about quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ treatment by officials took center stage. The Chiefs already had a 28-7 lead when officials threw a flag for roughing the passer after Mahomes was tackled to the ground.

That led to some pushback from Troy Aikman on the ESPN broadcast. The commentator called out officials for trying to “protect” Mahomes, who is considered one of the best QBs in the league.

“When it comes to quarterbacks, especially this one, they’re going to protect him,” he said. “And Johnny does a great job, he gets back there. Just a lot of frustration coming out on his part.”

Aikman wasn’t alone in feeling that way. Elsewhere on the Manningcast over on ESPN2, Rams receiver Davante Adams was chatting it up with Peyton and Eli Manning.

Adams expressed his surprise when the flag was thrown, though they later noted that officials picked it up. However, the receiver still sent a message to the league about how it had handled these type of plays this season and why it has made some players frustrated.

“We understand we want to protect quarterbacks and I know you guys are advocates of that more than anybody, but at the end of the day we’ve gotta let these guys play a little bit,” he said. “We can’t have it where the quarterback gets tossed around for specific teams and now we’re looking at different penalties that we wouldn’t be looking at if it was the Ravens or whoever it would be. I don’t know. I’m just talking.”

This isn’t the first time this season that people have noted the seemingly favorable calls that Mahomes tends to get in some games. Adams’ comments show there is growing concern about in the league not only from fans, but players as well.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have enjoyed playet of success over the years, having won three Super Bowls. He is certainly one of the biggest stars in the league, and having him healthy generates a lot of money for the league. But if the perceived favoritism is happening, it’s not a good look for the fairness of the league.

Kansas City went on to win Monday night’s game by a score of 28-7 to improve to 5-3 on the season. The Chiefs move on to face the Buffalo Bills next week, and we’ll see whether they get any more favorable calls in that one.