The Chiefs played the perfect scarecrows at the Arrowhead in week 1 when they scared the Ravens off their field. That’s quite a way to start a season as the 2-time defending Super Bowl Champs. But at the same time, Baltimore felt they could have gained more from the game if not for the officiating. Especially their head coach John Harbaugh, who was not a fan of referees post his team’s loss, as expected.

And now, it has become the perfect topic for Travis Kelce to have a little poke on the matter on The New Heights Podcast. “Keep’em coming refs that’s why we F—k with you guys right now. When it comes to actual penalties being called, we have been the point of emphasis.” It was not a random shade thrown without any premise. Rather, it was started by Jason Kelce’s question to his brother.

Jason stirred the pot by highlighting Ronnie Stanley’s frustration over illegal formation penalties in the Ravens’ loss to the Chiefs. Stanley was vocal about the penalties, which are a hot-button issue this season. “It just opened up more criticism of the Chiefs getting more favorable calls from the officials,” Jason noted. And of course, he couldn’t resist poking his brother Travis for his take. Travis, never one to shy away from the spotlight, responded with a sarcastic volley.

But wait, there’s more. That same Thursday, an odd timeout call by the refs—requested by an assistant, not the head coach—had fans buzzing with conspiracy theories. Could the NFL be playing favorites with the Chiefs, especially with the team’s back-to-back Super Bowl titles and Travis’s high-profile romance with Taylor Swift? The Chiefs are practically a headline machine these days, so is it any wonder people are crying foul?

Jason didn’t stop at just criticizing the refs. He took aim at Travis Kelce’s teammate Jawaan Taylor, highlighting the Chiefs’ right tackle’s illegal formation issues last year, especially against the Lions, were making the refs a little too trigger-happy. “The reason they’re calling this is because of Jawaan Taylor and the guys who were doing it a lot last year,” Jason insisted.

At least one of the Kelces echoed John Harbaugh’s frustration with those penalties.

John Harbaugh did not like the refs not calling against Travis Kelce’s Chiefs

While the New Heights podcast touched on it later, Harbaugh’s irritation literally reached new heights during the game. And why not? The Ravens received five penalties for illegal formation in their game. Phew! The Purple Pain suffered more as three flags flew within seven snaps, turning the field into a gridiron soap opera.

Even Travis Kelce’s brother, Jason, could not help but voice it on X. He wrote, “Man, they are not messing around with those tackles’ alignments.” He basically called out the refs’ strict stance. And Harbaugh did not shy back either. But his was a simple question if this level of officiating would continue. “It’ll be interesting to see if they call it the same way the whole season,” he remarked.

The situation sparked chatter about potential bias against the Chiefs. Harbaugh’s on-camera frustration echoed the sentiment, as he called out the refs for what seemed like one-sided calls. He voiced his frustration, saying, “It’s not being called both ways.” The penalties were like a 2-minute drill with no timeouts for the Ravens, especially after their loss. With the NFL cracking down on illegal formations this season, the Ravens became the poster children for strict enforcement.

The rulebook says seven players must be on the line of scrimmage, and tackles have to line up correctly or risk penalties. Baltimore’s penalties, including three on their first drive, made it clear the refs were on high alert. So, is the league overcompensating for past errors with the Chiefs, or is this just the new norm? That’s for the one to ponder on.