Just one minute into the Houston Texans' visit to Arrowhead to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round, both fan bases were already stirred up by the excitement on the field. Not only did Chiefs returner Nikko Remigio bring back the opening kickoff for 63 yards, but he then fumbled the ball only for Chiefs back Samaje Perine to jump on it to secure it for the home team.
Unfortunately, Texans cornerback Kris Boyd added his own bit of drama at the end of the play.
Boyd, a special teamer and defensive back for Houston, then removed his helmet and threw it, which brought in an official to throw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. Just like that, the Chiefs were gifted another 15 yards on top of the long return.
As if that wasn't enough, however, Boyd then decided to take out his frustrations on Frank Ross, Houston's special teams coordinator.
Kris Boyd might get cut at halftime pic.twitter.com/3VaBmgTbKL
— Kendall Baker (@kendallbaker) January 18, 2025
If you watch that and shake your head, you're right. Player emotions are certainly understandable and everyone is amped up at the start of a game. But there's no room for tantrums like this on the football field, and Boyd showed a lack of coping skills to deal with the frustration. Taking it out on a coach just takes things to a second level.
This sort of shove should bring down the hammer on anyone, but given Boyd's place on the depth chart, there should be no margin left for him to be a part of the game going forward. In fact, it doesn't even make sense to let him back on the plane.
A careless penalty that led to a violent outburst should eventually lead him to the unemployment line, but maybe the Texans have other things to worry about first. An in-game release would never happen, but it'd be surprising to see Boyd continue to have a place in Houston.