DeMeco Ryans stopped just short of breaking into the Backstreet Boys’ hit song “Everybody” when subtly criticizing NFL officials.
In carefully trying to avoid a fine while still getting his message across, the Texans head coach let it be known that his team was facing more than just the two-time defending Super Bowl champions Saturday in their 23-14 playoff loss to the Chiefs in the AFC divisional round.
“We knew going into this game that it was us versus everybody,” an exasperated Ryans said shortly after the game ended. “When I say everybody, it’s everybody. All the, whatever. Everybody. The naysayers, the doubt, right, everybody we had to go up against today.”
The Texans were called for two critical penalties on scoring drives for the Chiefs: A first-quarter roughing the passer and a third-quarter unnecessary roughness that led to 10 points.
Will Anderson hit Patrick Mahomes high on a third-and-8 that replay showed was helmet-to-shoulder pad and not helmet-to-helmet. It erased an incompletion that would’ve resulted in a punt.
Later in the game, Mahomes was scrambling on a broken play that began with a dropped snap.
He gained nine yards before sliding late to give himself up, as Foley Fatukasi and Henry To’oTo’o converged.
The two Texans dove and crashed into each other more than Mahomes, but To’oTo’o was flagged.
The rule is meant to protect quarterbacks, though Mahomes was a runner at that point.
ESPN color commentator Troy Aikman, postgame analyst Ryan Clark and the in-game officiating expert did not agree with either call.
“Knowing going into his game what we were up against, we can’t make the mistakes that we made,” Ryans said. “We had a lot of self-inflicted mistakes that happened. … You marry that on top of everything else we had to deal with, it’s going to be a really tough, uphill battle.”
Ryan’s not-so-masked insinuation only will feed the conspiracy theorists who think that the Chiefs, megastar Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce and Mahomes — the face of the league — get the benefit of a friendly whistle.
The Texans committed eight penalties for 82 yards to the Chiefs’ four for 29.
