Pat Surtain II questions how players can tackle Patrick Mahomes after controversial penalty

The Kansas City Chiefs kicked off the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs with a 23-14 win over the Houston Texans to advance to their seventh straight AFC Championship Game — but the result didn't come without controversy. The two-time defending champs were the beneficiaries of two questionable roughing the passer calls on Texans defenders against Patrick Mahomes, allowing them to extend drives at opportune times.

The calls were heavily criticized by ESPN's Troy Aikman during the game, and social media was ablaze as both fans and pundits discussed how they believe the Chiefs get favorable treatment from referees. One of Mahomes' division rivals, Denver Broncos' cornerback Patrick Surtain II, furthered the debate by wondering how NFL players can legally tackle the league's top quarterback.

Patrick Surtain II questions how to tackle a sliding quarterback

The play that drew the ire of Surtain was the second unnecessary roughness call, which saw Mahomes go into a late slide and draw a roughing call despite the fact he was barely touched by two Houston defenders, who collided with each other on the play. Check out the video below, which led Surtain to tweet the following.

Surtain's complaint was echoed throughout the broadcast and one that was raised during the debate surrounding the hit from Texans' safety Azeez Al-Shaair that knocked out Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence for the remainder of the regular season. Al-Shaair drew a three game suspension for that play, which most experts deemed a dirty play, but those attempting to defend Al-Shaair's track record noted that Lawrence went into his slide late, giving him little time to adjust his target level.

Aikman called out Mahomes for a similar tactic later in the game, when he deliberately slowed down instead of going directly out of bounds near the sideline, which the Hall of Famer felt was an attempt by Mahomes to draw a penalty instead of end the play.

This kind of play speaks to Surtain's frustrations since quarterbacks like Mahomes are using the rules to their advantage by waiting until the absolute last second to give themselves up in the hopes of drawing a penalty.

With fans often debating whether the Chiefs are the beneficiaries of a favorable whistle compared to their opponents, plays like that don't help the cause.

While there is nothing illegal with Mahomes' tactics for now, the debate Surtain raised will certainly continue since this loophole makes it almost impossible for defenders to attempt to tackle a sliding quarterback like Mahomes without risking a game-altering flag.