1. If you were to list the biggest story lines of the NFL’s postseason, Troy Aikman’s performance during the Texans-Chiefs divisional round playoff game on ABC/ESPN would make the cut.

Aikman received A LOT of attention for questioning the officiating and the league in regard to roughing-the-passer penalties, as well as calling out Patrick Mahomes for flopping.

During an appearance on this week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina, Aikman opened up about his calls during that game and the reaction to those officiating critiques.

“I know the officials have a tough job,” Aikman said. “The scrutiny that they’re under, as we’ve gotten more advanced with instant replay, those guys, it seems, have become more and more scrutinized.

“And the game has not become less controversial. It’s become more controversial. But then I just think we are at a point, and this is tipped a little bit because the league is partners with a number of these gambling services. So here you are promoting gambling, people are gambling more than they have ever before and those types of calls, there’s a lot at stake regardless, but especially when you’re considering there’s a lot of money that’s changing hands with these calls as well.

“So, I think that we owe it to the fans that we get it right, and I think that we are at a point and time where we can. We can get it more right. That was my position and just trying to lean on the NFL and say, ‘hey, we gotta fix this. We gotta address this in the offseason.’”

Given how strongly Aikman voiced his opinion and the praise he received for calling out the league, I asked the Hall of Fame quarterback if anyone from the NFL reached out to him.

“No,” said Aikman. “I never have. I’ve never heard from the league.”

Other topics discussed with Aikman on the podcast include how he found out his comments in the Texans-Chiefs game went viral, his famous 2019 tweet about Patrick Mahomes, advice he’d give Tom Brady on calling his first Super Bowl, the state of the Cowboys and his disdain for lateness.

You can listen to the full Aikman interview on SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

2. The power of the Chiefs as a ratings draw was on full display during championship Sunday last weekend.

Buffalo-Kansas City was obviously going to outdraw the Washington-Philadelphia game because of the matchup and time slot, but the difference in viewership numbers is pretty astounding.

Bills-Chiefs drew 57.7 million viewers for CBS in the late window while Eagles-Commanders pulled in 44.2 million viewers on Fox. That is a significant difference.

According to Sports Media Watch, Washington-Philly was the least-watched NFL conference title game since Bills-Chiefs on CBS in 2021 (42.8 million) and the least-watched NFC championship game since Packers-49ers in '20.

3. If you’re undecided about which team you will bet on in Super Bowl LIX, here are a few stats for you to consider.

4. Remember when referee Shawn Hochuli told the world that he could award the Eagles with a score if the Commanders kept intentionally jumping offsides during Sunday’s NFC championship game? Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels basically had the same reaction as me, you and everyone else watching the game.

5. I don’t think you need a lot of credibility to throw out hot takes on a hot take show, but Cam Newton saying he’d rather have an MVP award than Super Bowl title is a truly awful look.

6. As I told you at the top, Troy Aikman is this week’s guest on SI Media With Jimmy Traina. Regular listeners know that my buddy Sal Licata from WFAN joins me every week to close out the episode with our “Traina Thoughts” segment. Sal couldn’t do the show this week because he was having cataract surgery and based on the picture he shared afterward, we’ll have a lot to discuss next week.

As for this week, WWE superstar, Seth Rollins, was kind enough to fill in for Sal on “Traina Thoughts.” Rollins, a big Chicago Bears fan, talked about the Super Bowl, his favorite NFL announcers, doing Radio Row, the Royal Rumble and more.

Rollins joins the podcast at the 1-hour mark.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: It was 25 years ago today, in Episode 3 of Season 2, that we got one of Tony Soprano’s best NSFW explosions ever. The way that cereal bowl flew across the room was mesmerizing.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Troy Aikman Talks About Calling Out Refs, NFL During Texans-Chiefs Playoff Game.