The Chiefs cannot seem to escape the refereeing controversy around them. Their win over the Bills in the AFC Championship once again put the spotlight on contentious calls, rather than their march to the unprecedented three-peat. A week ago, it was the officiating in their divisional-round win over the Texans that drew the ire of the NFL community including Troy Aikman. Now, as they look forward to their Super Bowl rematch, Nick Bosa’s mother has thrown shade at the defending champions.

Super Bowl LVIII saw the 49ers lose in overtime to the Chiefs. That game continues to stir the pot of woeful officiating going throughout the league. There were a couple of holding calls that went against the 49ers which Kyle Shanahan was quick to call out after the game. Nearly one year on, Cheryl Bosa has not forgotten what happened.

Last year against the Chiefs, there was a moment in the first quarter when the 49ers were looking for a 2nd-and-long. And they thought it was theirs thanks to an 18-yard catch by George Kittle down the midfield. However, they suddenly realized the play didn’t stand because the officials had just penalized Trent Williams for an offensive holding penalty against Chiefs DE Mike Danna.

Cheryl shared the same clip from the last Super Bowl, talking about the holding call against Trent Williams. On her Instagram story, Cheryl wrote, “Boycott the Super Bowl!!!” across the video.

The penalty on Williams left Kyle Shanahan fuming on the sidelines as he complained to another NFL official, raising the questionable double standards going on. “Hey, I saw the hold. But that’s what they do every time. They hold they tug our guy till Pat Mahomes leaves, and then they let go. That’s what our guys did, make sure they call it both ways.”

Shanahan’s suggestion fell on deaf ears. During the game, Nick Bosa couldn’t get a sack on Patrick Mahomes in the 4th quarter because of a Chiefs O-line member grabbing him by both arms, but no penalty was called. In fact, the Chiefs didn’t get penalized for any of their offensive holding penalties on their way to the Super Bowl LVIII crown. This has definitely left Cheryl upset as the Chiefs and Eagles get ready to lock horns for the second time in three years in the big finale. But Cheryl wasn’t done.

In 2023, Christian McCaffrey was invited by Sports Illustrated to talk about the Chiefs vs Eagles Super Bowl game. See, the 49ers had just been obliterated 31-7 by the Eagles in their NFC Championship game before Super Bowl LVII. So, McCaffrey couldn’t care less about the outcome.

“I hope they both lose. I don’t have a prediction,” he said. Two years later, Cheryl shared his response in her IG story with the caption, “Mood,” summing up her feelings about their rematch this year at the Caesars Superdome. 

In his interview, McCaffrey further said, “When you lose, and always watching Super Bowls. They’re tougher for us because you obviously wish you were there. I don’t even know if I’ll watch the game yet.” We imagine the mood around San Franciso will be similar this year.

The 49ers had a season to forget. They finished bottom of the NFC West with just six wins to their name. They were also soundly beaten by the Chiefs at home in their Super Bowl rematch in October.

They ended their season with a 47-24 thrashing by the Cardinals, leaving Nick Bosa red-faced. “Kind of embarrassment,” Bosa said about his feelings over the loss. “It doesn’t feel good. It’s hard to look the guys in their faces, and as a leader on the team, and that’s the product that we kept putting out there game after game. It’s pretty embarrassing.”

Bosa finished the season with nine sacks, tied for his lowest in a full season. His 36 quarterback pressures are also a career low as the team with Super Bowl aspirations struggled to get going. It will be back to the drawing board this offseason and a lot of contemplation to do for the 49ers.

Meanwhile, the claims of referring decisions favoring them have followed the Chiefs throughout the season. In the AFC Championship game against the Bills, a few debatable calls also went their way.

In the second quarter, the Chiefs faced third-and-5 from the Bills’ 29-yard line. Mahomes fought off the pressure and launched a  26-yard pass near the sideline. Xavier Worthy and safety Cole Bishop both went for the ball and it appeared the 49ers man had the interception. However, Worthy had somehow managed to get the ball but not before it hit the ground. This set up Patrick Mahomes’ touchdown run for a 21-10 lead.

There were also such controversial calls in their divisional game against the Texans, which surprised Troy Aikman and his fellow analyst

Chiefs’ divisional game against the Texans caused a stir

With the Texans fighting against the odds in their divisional game, they didn’t the rub of the green. In the third quarter, Patrick Mahomes slid late and it appeared Houston’s Henry To’oTo’o and Folorunso Fatukasi delivered a blow to the QB’s upper body. However, replays suggested that Fatukasi and To’oTo’o hit each other instead of colliding with Mahomes. Yet, the Texans linebacker To’oTo’o was flagged for a 15-yard penalty, leaving Troy Aikman aghast.

“Oh come on. I mean, he’s a runner. I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit,” Aikman said while commentating for ESPN.

In the first quarter as well, defensive end Will Anderson Jr. was flagged for roughing the passer after making helmet-to-helmet contact with Mahomes.  Again, replays showed that the contact was more head-to-chest, with ESPN’s rules analyst Russell Yurk saying that he didn’t see anything that “supported a foul.”

All this is in the past now.

What matters now is the showdown between the Eagles and the Chiefs on February 9. For the 49ers, this doesn’t bode well either way and reflects what McCaffrey said two years ago. Seeing the Chiefs complete the 3-peat will rub salt in their wounds while seeing their NFC rivals win won’t also make for pleasant viewing. It is likely that they won’t be cheering for either one of them heeding to Cheryl’s boycott calls.