Are the Chiefs getting away with penalties this season? That is one way to look at it. Questions were raised after Patrick Mahomes escaped punishment for a “violent gesture” in the Week 5 win over the Saints. The same game saw safety Bryan Cook didn’t draw a flag after he appeared to interfere with Saints WR Chris Olave. Overall, the Chiefs have been one of the fewest penalized teams in the league and while many would point at lenient officiating, seven-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady has a different take.

As the Vikings lost their game against the Lions on Sunday, only one team remained unbeaten after seven weeks of NFL action. And it’s the reigning champions, the Chiefs, who saw off the 49ers in a rematch of the Super Bowl LVIII. Although the win wasn’t pretty, the Chiefs got the job done to move to 6-0 with a three-peat in sight.

The Chiefs have been able to go on a winning streak despite not being at their best, at least offensively. Even in the game against the 49ers, Mahomes threw two interceptions and no TDs. Analyzing their latest win, Tom Brady praised Andy Reid’s ability to get his team over the line while also ensuring they rarely get penalized.

Appearing on the Let’s Go Podcast with Bill Belichick, Brady said, “Coach Reid just did an awesome job and his play calling to get the lead and one thing their offense does a great job of is they continue to get forward. They are one of the fewest penalized teams in the league. They don’t go backward in the run game.”

Statistically, the Chiefs are the second least penalized team in the league with 31 penalties behind the Los Angeles Rams, who have conceded only 30 penalties. Brady was a first-hand witness to how resilient the Chiefs have been this season, as he was on the broadcast team for Fox during the Week 7 game.

During the game, he also praised Mahomes’s “sneaky creativeness” while lauding the“really good creative scheme by Coach [Andy] Reid,” whom he labeled as “one of the most unique play-callers in the league … just a tremendous coach.” As Brady mentioned, the Chiefs’ success this season has been built around their defense led by All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones.

With the team eager to rush forward, they have managed to concede few penalties this season, but their meager penalty record hasn’t been without its fair share of controversy. Against the Saints, although the game was wrapped up within the fourth quarter, the Chiefs got away with a DPI on Saints WR Chris Olave. It was Chiefs’ safety Bryan Cook who appeared to have interfered before Olave completed the pass. There was another incident in Week 3 when another questionable non-call went in the favor of the champions.

As Falcons’ TE Kyle Pitts waited for the pass to arrive in the end zone, the Chiefs safety Bryan Cook appeared to have forced an incompletion after physical play. Again no flag in sight. However, those tackles aren’t the only thing that the Chiefs are getting away with this season. Patrick Mahomes surprisingly escaped punishment after his violent celebration against the Saints.

Patrick Mahomes dodges punishment after violent gesture at Arrowhead

For the first four weeks of the NFL action this season, eight penalties were handed to players for violent gestures. Among them were players like the Giants WR Malik Nabers, Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb, Jets WR Allen Lazard, and Giants WR Darius Slayton in week 5.

But the Chiefs QB is nowhere to be seen on the list after his finger gun celebration as he celebrated having run the ball to secure a first down against the Saints. Mahomes escaped punishment unlike others

With no penalties given, the fans did raise their voices, “By now, we know some rules don’t apply to the Chiefs.” Another fan added that he wasn’t surprised with the call, “He’s a Chief, shouldn’t be surprised it wasn’t a flag.”

Slayton, who got punished for his gestures, was also quick to point out the inconsistency, saying, “It’s cool when they do it.” So is it a case of lenient officiating? smart play? or simply luck when it comes to the Chiefs? Whatever the reason, the stats say the Chiefs are the only unbeaten team in the league and that is all their fans would care about

Will their luck continue to favor them in the coming weeks? Well, we don’t know for sure, but for now the Chiefs march on for an unprecedented 3-peat this season.