Texans' Will Anderson Jr. Candid on Officials After Divisional Round Loss

One former Alabama star in the NFL seemingly didn't expect to find favors from the officials on Saturday.

Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) drags down Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) during the first quarter of a 2025 AFC divisional round game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Houston Texans were unsuccessful in yet another bid to make their first AFC Championship Game appearance on Saturday. After the 23-14 divisional round loss against Kansas City, former Alabama sensation Will Anderson Jr. did not shy away from expressing one of his thoughts in particular.

"We knew it was gonna be us against the refs going into this game," he explained during a postgame media scrum. "I just assumed, man, we gotta go out there and do much better. In some instances we didn't do that. In some instances, we did."

The edge rusher was called for a roughing the passer penalty during the first quarter, which negated what would have been a third-down stop. The call was not well received on social media, in part because of a reputation for referee favor that has been attached by some to the Chiefs. Kansas City is the twice-defending Super Bowl champion and, thanks to Saturday's result, now one win away from a third consecutive appearance in the contest. The Chiefs scored a field goal on the possession where Anderson Jr. was tagged with the roughing penalty.

Despite that particular call, the AFC South winners still lost by two scores. The team has been playing since the 2002-03 season and never made it past the AFC Divisional in that timespan. Anderson Jr. was himself a cornerstone piece in the franchise's resurgence coming off a dismal 2022-23 campaign. He was selected third overall, two picks behind college teammate and former Heisman winner Bryce Young, in the 2023 NFL Draft.