As if we needed more evidence of how confident top-tier quarterbacks are in their ability to work the system, Patrick Mahomes followed up an absolute joke of a drawn personal foul penalty in Saturday’s 23–14 divisional round win over the Houston Texans—he wandered around the Kansas City Chiefs’ backfield like a lost old man on the beach wielding a metal detector before collapsing to the ground late, causing two defenders who were unable to redirect themselves to fall over him at the last second—with a second attempt to bait Texans defenders into a flag-worthy hit eight plays later.
While the moment was egregious in and of itself (you can watch it here, or simply search Mahomes flop on your social media platform of choice), the fact that it occurred on the same drive as a play in which the Chiefs’ position was immensely improved by a purposely late quarterback slide says all it needs to say about the quarterback’s willingness to utilize ridiculous rules and even more suspect enforcement to his advantage. This isn’t to single out Mahomes specifically—though he has been one of the more regular offenders, he has gotten caught doing this and knocked into a Gatorade cooler once or twice this year without drawing a flag—but an effort to point out yet again the absurdity of how a one-score playoff game can feel like an insurmountable deficit when playing against a passer experienced in becoming a Fabergé egg when it’s convenient for him.
