Winning has a way of making people look for excuses. When you’re at the top of the mountain for years, every stumble looks like a staged performance to the people at the bottom. Patrick Mahomes knows this better than anyone. He’s the face of a dynasty, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, and lately, the target of a very specific, very loud accusation: he's a flopper.
It’s been a building narrative. Fans on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) have been compiling "greatest hits" of Mahomes hitting the turf with a bit too much flair. But things hit a boiling point during the 2024-2025 playoffs.
During the Divisional Round win against the Houston Texans, a game the Chiefs took 23-14, the "favoritism" talk reached a fever pitch. It wasn't just the fans either. Even the broadcast booth, usually a safe haven for superstars, started calling him out. Troy Aikman, who usually doesn't pull punches, was vocal. He basically told the world that Mahomes was playing games with defenders.
And then, surprisingly, kansas city chiefs quarterback patrick mahomes addressed flopping allegations head-on.
The moment Mahomes came clean
Usually, stars ignore the noise. They give the "I'm just focused on the next game" speech. But Mahomes took a different route during his weekly spot on 96.5 The Fan’s "The Drive." He didn't just deny everything. He actually admitted to one of the most viral moments of the season.
"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 the hosts.
He was talking about a fourth-quarter play where he slowed down near the boundary, waited for a light push from a Texans defender, and then went down like he’d been hit by a freight train. The refs didn't bite. Mahomes knew it immediately. He admitted that the ref saw right through it, and looking back, he realized he "probably shouldn't have done that."
It’s rare. You don't often hear a quarterback of his stature admit to trying to bait the officials. But that honesty only came after he defended a few other controversial calls from that same game.
One involved a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty where two Texans defenders collided with each other while trying to hit Mahomes mid-slide. Mahomes' take? That wasn't a flop; it was self-preservation. He argued that he was just trying to avoid getting "smoked" by 300-pound linemen. Honestly, if you're the billion-dollar centerpiece of a franchise, "getting out of the way" is just good business.
Why the "Chiefs Favoritism" narrative won't die
The stats are a mixed bag, which is why this debate is so exhausting. On one hand, the Chiefs aren't the most penalized-for team in the league. They usually sit somewhere in the middle. But when you look at the playoffs, the numbers get weird.
Since 2009, no quarterback has benefited from more roughing the passer calls in the postseason than Mahomes. Some analysts point out there’s about a 42% chance Mahomes gets a roughing call in any given playoff game.
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Is that because he's a master of the dark arts of flopping? Or is it because he holds the ball longer, scrambles more, and forces defenders into impossible split-second decisions?
- The "Halo Effect": Critics argue that Mahomes has reached "superstar status" where refs subconsciously want to protect him.
- Strategic Sliding: Defenders hate the late slide. If they hit him, it’s a flag. If they let up and he doesn't slide, he picks up five more yards.
- The Aikman Critique: Troy Aikman openly called for the NFL to address this in the offseason, suggesting that quarterbacks shouldn't be allowed to "play games" with defenders near the sideline.
Is an "Anti-Flopping" rule coming?
The NFL is nothing if not reactionary. We saw the "Tom Brady Rule" and the "Carson Palmer Rule." Now, there's legitimate talk about a "Mahomes Rule" or at least an expansion of the replay system.
There is a push to make quarterback slides and "embellishment" reviewable. Imagine a world where a 15-yard penalty is picked up because a "sky judge" sees the QB exaggerated the contact. It’s common in hockey and soccer, but the NFL has resisted it because they don't want to slow the game down even more.
Mahomes himself seems unfazed by the potential changes. His stance is basically: I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. If that means sliding late to stay safe, he’ll do it. If it means admitting he went too far on a sideline flop to keep the refs on his side for the next play, he’ll do that too.
What this means for your Sunday bets
If you’re a bettor or just a die-hard fan, you have to account for the "Mahomes Factor." Whether it's earned or gifted, those 15-yard chunks change games. The Texans game proved it. Those penalties led to ten points for Kansas City in a game they won by nine.
Practical takeaways for the next Chiefs game:
- Watch the sideline behavior: If Mahomes is near the sticks on 3rd down, defenders are going to be hesitant. This often leads to him picking up first downs with his legs that he shouldn't get.
- Listen to the crowd: Officials are human. In Arrowhead, the pressure to throw the flag after a Mahomes "fall" is immense.
- Expect a "makeup" non-call: Now that Mahomes has publicly admitted to flopping, expect refs to be a little more skeptical of his falls in high-stakes moments.
The reality is that kansas city chiefs quarterback patrick mahomes addressed flopping allegations because the noise became too loud to ignore. By admitting to one minor instance, he actually bought himself some credibility for the ones he claims are "real." It’s a veteran move from a guy who’s just as smart in the film room as he is at manipulating the flow of a game.
Moving forward, the league has a choice. They can keep letting the "Golden Boy" narrative fester, or they can tighten the rules on how quarterbacks transition from runners to protected passers. Until then, expect Mahomes to keep playing right on the edge of the rules.
If you're looking to track how often these calls actually happen, keep an eye on the "Roughing the Passer" logs for the upcoming season. Comparing Mahomes' frequency to other mobile QBs like Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson often tells a much more nuanced story than a 10-second clip on Twitter ever could. Focus on the "late slide" metrics—that's where the next big rule change is likely to hit.