Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans reacts during the third quarter of a 2025 AFC divisional round game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

After a highly questionable officiating performance during Saturday’s divisional-round game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans, Houston coach DeMeco Ryans bluntly shaded the referees.

During his postgame press conference, Ryans alluded to Saturday’s game in Kansas City being the Texans against “everybody,” with added emphasis on “everybody” to essentially indict the officials for helping swing the game in Kansas City’s favor.

In a contest where Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes drew one of the worst roughing penalties of the 2024 season, it’s hard not to see where Ryans is coming from here. Ryans admitted his team needed to play better to win, but he also recognized the clear hurdle Houston had to clear on Saturday.

It’s been clear for a while now that the Chiefs are getting calls just because they’re such a popular franchise that financially benefits the league with their involvement. You can’t blame Ryans for being frustrated about what fans are seeing when they watch at home.

Expect more coaches like Ryans to call it out as the years go on and the favorable calls keep coming. It’s not hard to spot.