Fans say the games are rigged for the Chiefs. Are the officials on Kansas City's side?

Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times on Jan 27, 2025

Published in Football

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LOS ANGELES — The NFL playoffs are rigged. The referees favor the Kansas City Chiefs. It's all a conspiracy to hand those Reid-revering, Mahomes-adoring, Kelce-and-Swift-lovin' cultists a third consecutive Super Bowl championship.

For these charges to stick, however, evidence and motive need to be established. Let's start with evidence:

— A ruling that Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy made a catch deep in Buffalo Bills' territory on a third-and-5 desperation pass from Patrick Mahomes with 3:13 remaining in the first half. Replays indicated the ball struck the ground and could have been called incomplete. Kansas City promptly scored a touchdown.

— Bills quarterback Josh Allen attempted a sneak on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter. The official dashing in from the Buffalo sideline gave him enough progress for a first down. The official dashing in from the Kansas City sideline ruled him short.

Guess which official spotted the ball? The Chiefs took possession and promptly scored a touchdown and two-point conversion to erase a one-point Bills lead and seize control in their eventual 32-29 win that sets up a second Super Bowl matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles in three years.

CBS color commentator Tony Romo said, "I felt like he gained it by about a third of the football," and CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore replied, "I agree."

— Those plays came a week after the officials were roundly criticized for two calls that benefited Mahomes in the Chiefs' playoff win over the Houston Texans: roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness penalties that didn't look so rough on replay.

— During the Chiefs' current nine-game playoff winning streak, they have not been called for a single roughing-the-passer penalty and only one unnecessary roughness penalty. Their opponents have been called six times for roughing Mahomes and four times for unnecessary roughness.

That's reasonably damning evidence, even if it is mostly anecdotal. So, what about motive?

This is where the conspiracy theory loses its legs. Why would the NFL, and even more specifically, why would NFL referees want the Chiefs to win? So Mahomes can add to his already ubiquitous endorsements? Adidas, Oakley, Head & Shoulders, State Farm, Bose, DirecTV, Essential Water and EA Sports aren't enough?

So coach Andy Reid can babble "Bundle-Rooski" on inane commercials for another season? So hardcore football fans can grumble at Taylor Swift cheerleading the Chiefs from a luxury box?

Chiefs "fatigue" is a real thing. They are so accomplished at winning close games — going 11-0 in one-score outcomes this season — with Mahomes making astonishing plays, it must seem to fans of opposing teams the whole thing is rigged. But the NFL has no reason to secretly force the officials to swing calls toward Kansas City.

And officials have no reason to purposely blow calls, according to Mike Pereira, the rules analyst for Fox Sports and former head of NFL officiating.

"The fact that [officials] are looking out for any team or any individual is an absolute myth," Pereira said last week on "The Rich Eisen Show." "You don't want to get fired. You want to be right. People that say that don't know a damn thing about officiating. Until you put the uniform on, until you have to make those quick judgments. ... get off my train. Period."

Even more succinctly was Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill's message to fans who think his team gets special treatment from the referees: "Kick rocks."

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