Fans rip referees for missing "textbook" hip drop tackle penalty on Chiefs - "NFL officials are absolutely awful"

Fans were unhappy with the referees as the Chiefs outscored the Texans 13-3 in the first half of the Divisional Round game. With Houston on offense, C.J. Stroud connected with Dalton Schultz for a first down. Safety Bryan Cook tackled him and it looked as if the defender dropped his hip to stop the tight end from gaining more yards.

The Texans' offense immediately asked for a penalty but none was given. Observers were not sure why that was the case. Some took to X/Twitter to say that this was another classic case of the referees favoring Kansas City. Here are some of the comments.

Some others put it down purely to how bad the NFL officiating has been this year and not down to the fact that the Chiefs were playing at home in a knockout game. They said that referees have rarely acted on such tackles, despite the league trying to cut down on such methods of tackling since they exacerbate the chance of injuries. Instead, others said that players simply get fines instead of being disciplined on the field. Here are some more posts from the social media platform.

"I don’t think they have thrown a flag for hip drop tackle all season long regardless of who’s playing. They just end up fining the player during the week" - said one.

"I watched a ton of football I don’t know if I saw a single hip drop flag this year. I wonder how many were flagged?" - questioned another.

"They not callin that sh*t, I haven’t seen one all year" - fumed another.

Chiefs unbeaten with referee Clay Martin assigned to Divisional Round game vs. Texans

Fans were concerned about the Chiefs' getting favorable refereeing decisions even before the game began. Clay Martin was assigned as the chief official for this match. Ever since Patrick Mahomes became the starter in Kansas City in 2018, Martin has taken charge of six matchups featuring them. The Chiefs have won them all.

Of course, it could simply be because Kansas City wins more than most. This year, for example, the only loss where their starters were playing came against the Bills away from home. They have also won three of the last five Super Bowls, including the last two back-to-back. If the Texans end up losing this game, it will be down to their special teams with a missed field goal, botched conversion, and a big kickoff return conceded.