Oct 2, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) greets Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after a game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

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Tom Brady weighs in on the “League is protecting Mahomes” Controversy

Brady: QBs need to protect themselves. League rules need to change.

The NFL playoffs are supposed to be about epic plays and clutch performances, not controversial calls by the refs. But that’s exactly what everyone was talking about after the Kansas City Chiefs’ divisional round win over the Houston Texans.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes got flagged for a couple of questionable roughing the passer penalties during the game. The calls helped the Chiefs win 23-14, but a lot of people were salty that the refs seemed to be giving Mahomes special treatment.

On an episode of The Herd, Fox analyst Tom Brady was asked about the whole “refs are protecting Mahomes” thing. Brady, who is no stranger to getting some help from the refs himself back in his New England Patriots days, didn’t bash the refs. Instead, he took aim at the NFL’s rules.

Tom Brady on Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs and penalties:

Per: @TheHerd

“If you’re running with the ball you should protect yourself…but you can’t, in essence, have the defensive player come in at half speed and then you run over the defensive player because he’s afraid of… pic.twitter.com/B25vGDLihS
— Savage (@SavageSports_) January 22, 2025

“There’s an aspect that I don’t like about some of these defensive rules,” Tom Brady said. He pointed out that QBs need to learn to protect themselves sometimes. “The reality for me is that offensive players need to protect themselves. If they’re running full speed and the defenders are coming up—the only way to turn the ball over is to create force, you’re not going to blow on the football and knock its way out of a running back’s hands or a quarterback’s hands.”

Brady’s got a point, But Mahomes embellished a hit too

Tom Brady’s comments were especially relevant to one play in the fourth quarter where Mahomes flopped to the ground on the sideline, hoping to draw a penalty. The refs didn’t buy it, and Mahomes even admitted later that he “probably shouldn’t have done that.”

"Tom Brady didn't even win back-to-back-to-back Super Bowl titles." 😯 @stephenasmith says a Chiefs three-peat would "cement" Patrick Mahomes as the greatest QB in NFL history 👀 pic.twitter.com/31VXvOa9AP
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 22, 2025

The stats seem to show that Mahomes and the Chiefs might be getting a bit of a break from the refs when it comes to penalties. But what can be done about it?

Changing the Rules? Brady thinks so

Brady thinks the NFL needs to change the rules on how quarterbacks are protected. “Who’s really protecting the quarterback?” Brady asked. “We’re trying to say the referee should do it? … If you’re running with the ball, you should protect yourself. If you don’t want to get hit, you can go down, you can run out of bounds. But you can’t in essence have the defensive player come in at half speed and then you run over the defensive player because he’s afraid of getting a penalty. I think it’s just a disservice to the game.”

Mahomes owns up to his flop

To his credit, Mahomes admitted that he acted a fool on that one play where he went down on the sideline. “I would say the only one I felt like I probably did too much was the one on the sideline where I didn’t get the flag,” Mahomes told reporters. “The refs saw it and it didn’t get a flag. I understood it immediately and know that I probably shouldn’t have done that.”

Most Playoff Wins by a QB in NFL History:

1. Tom Brady: 35
T-2. Patrick Mahomes: 16
T-2. Joe Montana: 16#NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/yjS5Mphr4Y
— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2025

So, did the refs hand the Chiefs the win? It’s tough to say. But there’s no doubt that the penalties on Mahomes were a hot topic after the game. Tom Brady has some interesting ideas about how to fix the problem, and it will be interesting to see if the NFL agrees with him.

(Image: Imagn Images)

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Natasha Bose

I write about sports because, well, it brings in the big bucks! I’m not some lifelong analyst or stats guru, truth being told, you’ve probably never heard of me!—I just know how to research, write, and make things sound good. That’s the job!
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