“If hating were an Olympic sport, we’d be champions.” That’s not what Tavia Hunt said, but it might as well have been the energy behind her fiery Instagram post. The Chiefs’ (yet another) narrow 23-14 victory over the Texans had more drama than many had hoped for. But everyone chimed in. And the backlash after the game wasn’t just aimed at Patrick Mahomes—it dragged the entire team into a storm of criticism.

Tavia, wife of Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt, wasn’t having it. Sharing posts from fan pages like dailyarrowhead, she countered claims of referee favoritism with cold, hard stats. The post from dailyarrowhead featured a clip from Game Day Morning. Former NFL official and Rules expert, Walt Anderson, talked about the controversial officiating there. “They love to credit the refs with our wins. But look at the actual facts,” she wrote. Her Instagram story featured memes mocking the ‘refs helped the Chiefs’ narrative. She also shared a post from The 33rd Team highlighting that Kansas City has ranked last in Offensive Penalties Committed EPA since 2018. But what did Anderson say?

“If there’s contact to the head of the quarterback, that’s probably going to be called by the officials,” Anderson said. “And that’s what you can see here. Now, it has to be forcible. And one of the things we add in this year is, if there’s no contact at all to the helmet, replay can assist. But on this play, there was contact.” Now, the debate actually exploded after two controversial penalties during the game. Texans fans argued that roughing-the-passer and unnecessary roughness calls on Mahomes gifted the Chiefs key opportunities. However, Anderson explained that the calls were consistent with league rules. Critics weren’t buying it, though.

This sparked a deeper conversation about Mahomes and perceived referee bias. Fans flooded social media, accusing Mahomes of milking penalties. ESPN’s Troy Aikman chipped in during the broadcast. He criticized a late slide by Mahomes that drew an unnecessary roughness flag. “He’s a runner. I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit. He’s trying to draw the penalty. Rather than just run out of bounds, he slows down and that’s been the frustration and I understand it,” Aikman said. The Texans, on the other hand, were visibly frustrated. Defensive end Will Anderson called the officiating “tough” and hinted at a premeditated bias. “We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game,” Anderson added.

This isn’t the first time Mahomes has faced accusations of preferential treatment. But Tavia Hunt’s posts aimed to shift the focus. Was it really the referees who allowed Houston’s eight sacks, a blocked field goal, and a missed extra point?

Fans turn on Mahomes amid referee controversy

The penalties reignited fan anger at Mahomes despite Walt Anderson’s defense. Some called the game “rigged.” The flagged hit in the first quarter on Mahomes for supposed contact with his helmet left Texans fans fuming. “Referees at it AGAIN! Favoring KC and Bs calls !! Rigged !! Booooo,” one of them wrote. However, the tipping point came in the third quarter.

It was when Mahomes slid into what seemed to be incidental contact between two Texans defenders. Referee Clay Martin upheld the penalty post-game. He cited “forcible contact to the facemask area” as the reason. Even though replays told a different story (for many). Texans legend JJ Watt said, “He literally hit him in the chest with his facemask. That was insane.” As he joined countless fans in questioning the NFL’s judgment.

Mahomes’ late slides and ability to draw penalties sparked a larger conversation about quarterback protection. “Roughing the passer penalties are out of control,” Watt tweeted. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans subtly criticized the officiating, labeling the game “us versus everybody.” As Kansas City prepares to face the Bills or Ravens in the AFC Championship, Mahomes finds himself under a magnifying glass yet again. The Chiefs’ win highlighted their resilience but also reignited debates about NFL officiating and star treatment.

In the end, it’s Tavia Hunt’s defiance that summed up the Chiefs’ stance: “Sorta hurts the “referee” narrative!! @haters.” Whether fans agree or not, the Chiefs march on—hated, debated, and still in the hunt for another Super Bowl.