If there is one team, everyone would have counted on to be alive at this stage of the season, it’s the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes and the Chiefs have been a force to be reckoned with. Even after resting a majority of their main players in their last regular season game against the Broncos and losing it, they finished the season with a 15-2 record, securing the top seed in the AFC table.

The Chiefs really look like they can achieve the impossible and get that coveted 3-peat. With this much success, though, there is bound to be some criticism. The main criticism aimed at Mahomes and his team is the claim that they receive favoritism from the referees. Well, it seems like the truth is exactly the opposite.

Tavia Hunt shared a story on her Instagram, revealing a stat that might have surprised many. Hunt, shared some stats that ‘The 33rd Team’ had posted on X. They revealed that the Chiefs have actually gotten little help from referees since Mahomes became the starting QB for them. She shared her story along with the caption, “Sorta hurts the “referee” narrative!!”

Well, the stats do tell a different picture than what has been the perception of many. This conversation about ‘referees’ started again after the game between the Chiefs and the Texans. In the AFC divisional playoff match, the Chiefs defeated the Texans 23-14. During the game, some calls went against the Texans and there were people who didn’t quite agree with them.

The first one happened in the first play of the game when Kris Boyd committed a conduct penalty. This led to the Chief’s first offensive snap of the game from the red zone. Later Will Anderson Jr was also called out for a ‘roughing the passer infraction’. Several calls like this meant that after the game, many people spoke about the referees being ‘against’ the Texans.

Did the referee favor Mahomes and the Chiefs?

Well, Anderson Jr for one certainly believes so. After the game ended, referee Clay Martin spoke about his call against the Texans’ DE. Martin said, “I had forcible contact to the facemask area and so I went with roughing the passer on that play.” Anderson Jr though, did not seem to agree with the referee. The player spoke about how he knew the refs were going to be against them in this game: “We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game.” And it seems like Anderson Jr is not the only one.

The Texans HC DeMeco Ryans also believed that it was them vs well, ‘everybody’. He said, “We knew coming into this game, it was us versus everybody. When I say everybody, it’s everybody, all of – everybody, whatever, the naysayers, the doubt, everybody we had to go against today.” Well, the Texans really do believe that some unfair calls were taken against them. What’s done is done, though. The referee took a call, and whether it was right or wrong, it is now final.

This means the Texans are out, while the Chiefs move one step closer to the Super Bowl. Now, the Texans will look to concentrate on the next season and plan if and what changes they need to make. The Chiefs, on the other hand, will be focusing on their game against the Bills. Mahomes and Co have an incredible opportunity to achieve something that has never been done before. And the way that they are playing, it really seems achievable. What do you think? Will they be able to do that?