CJ Stroud sent a clear message after the controversy that has erupted regarding the Kansas City Chiefs and the referees with calls that supposedly helped the defending Super Bowl champions secure a victory over the Texans in the playoffs.
“These things are tough. I’m not going to go back and forth on what I thought was a call or what I thought wasn’t a call. It’s one of those things you kind of know what’s up before you even walk into the arena. We got to be better. Just being accountable and sound. Some things you know, we had a couple calls that weren’t called that I’m begging for, but, at the same time, it is what it is. I can’t argue with the refs and at the same time play football. I got to go and do my job.”
The current discussion in the NFL is focused on the overprotection that referees are giving to Patrick Mahomes in plays that, at least on television and according to expert opinions, should not have been called as unnecessary roughness or personal fouls.
What was the controversial call in the Chiefs game?
According to CJ Stroud, the referees made several mistakes in favor of the Chiefs during the game against the Houston Texans, particularly with the unnecessary roughness call during a tackle on Patrick Mahomes after a late slide.
In fact, the star quarterback echoed voices like those of Joe Mixon, DeMeco Ryans and Will Anderson, who mentioned that they already knew this beforehand.
“I would say there were definitely some things that I would question, but at the same time, I mean, they’re the professionals, they’re getting paid to be refs and they did ultimately their best. It’s us against the world when you’re playing in this type of environments and games.”