Will Anderson, Henry To'oTo'o not fined for hits on Patrick Mahomes

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, neither Will Anderson nor Henry To’oTo’o will be fined for hits they put on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They were flagged for 15-yard penalties, being a huge talking point heading into the AFC Championship game. But after review, the NFL determined not to fine the two Houston Texan defenders.

“The NFL didn’t fine #Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. or LB Henry To’oTo’o for their hits on Patrick Mahomes that yielded controversial penalties in last week’s playoff game,” Pelissero said via X. “That isn’t an admission of an officiating error. But neither play rose to the level of a fine.”

Anderson and To’oTo’o hit Mahomes at the same time right as the Kansas City quarterback was sliding down after a run. Social media began to respond with some anger, believing Mahomes was getting favorable treatment from the officials.

Matters were only made worse later in the game when Anderson was once again called for a 15-yard penalty. This one was considered roughing the passer, hitting Mahomes after the ball was away. Another one where people were not too happy, including ESPN’s color commentator Troy Aikman.

Both Houston players likely would have traded some cash in order to still be playing today. Instead, they will watch the AFC Championship Game between Kansas City and the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.

Patrick Mahomes addresses supposed favorable calls against Texans

If you’re in the camp that believes Patrick Mahomes receives preferential treatment from NFL officials, just know that the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback disagrees with you.

Mahomes, speaking with the media on Wednesday ahead of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills, said he doesn’t feel like he gets extra protection from referees.

“I don’t feel that way,” Mahomes said, via Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network. “I just try to play football at the end of the day. The referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and as proper as they can.”

The belief that Mahomes and the Chiefs benefit from calls during games is shared by many fans outside the state of Missouri. But it came to a head in this past Saturday’s AFC Divisional Round victory over the Houston Texans.

On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this report