NFL fans are calling for the league to make changes ahead of the AFC Championship game featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. With the league announcing the referee assignments for the AFC heavyweight clash, the NFL world immediately went into conspiracy theory mode.
NFL Fans Enraged as AFC Championship Referee Assignments Show Favor to the Kansas City Chiefs
The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs had a recurring theme of poor reffing as there were quite a few controversial calls that got fans talking on social media. There were a few obviously bad calls in the Buffalo Bills’ victory over the Baltimore Ravens, but the most talked-about game in terms of officiating was the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Houston Texans.
This game even led fans to accuse the NFL of “cheating” for the Chiefs as they believe they’ve seen a pattern.
The NFL announced the referee assignment for the Chiefs’ matchup with the Bills, which has led to quite a bit of backlash on social media.
Referee assignments for the conference championship games: pic.twitter.com/29enXKsjUe
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 20, 2025
This announcement has led fans to demand changes as they believe these two aren’t cut out for the job, with one fan saying, “Is this a joke? Two of the worst get the assignment? Good lord.
Is this a joke? Two of the worst get the assignment? Good lord.
— Walter Piecyk (@WaltLightShed) January 20, 2025
One fan added to the theme of the refs “cheating” for the refs, saying, “The league isn’t even attempting to hide the fix anymore.”
The league isn’t even attempting to hide the fix anymore that’s wild
— TB EGO (@TomBradyEgo) January 20, 2025
Another fan also added to this theme, saying, “Clete Blakeman and the Chiefs vs. the Bills”
Clete Blakeman and the Chiefs vs The Bills
— BcsWoj LFC (@BcsWoj) January 20, 2025
It’s clear that the general response from NFL fans is that they’re expecting a repeat of the Divisional Round. Hopefully, this isn’t the case as it was a very prominent issue that needed to be fixed.
Mahomes Receives Major Social Media Backlash for ‘Flopping’ in Chiefs’ Victory Over Texans
Though the Chiefs handled business at home, taking down the Texans 23-14 en route to their seventh straight AFC Championship Game, Mahomes has received a ton of backlash on social media for his antics during the game.
While many fans complained about the poor officiating in the game, they were also frustrated by Mahomes “flopping” to get these calls. One incident was worse than the rest, as he exaggerated a push out of bounds to get an unnecessary roughness call.
One fan called it a “Ridiculous attempt at a flop after getting SEVERAL questionable roughing calls already this game. This is the reason people outside of KC don’t like Mahomes.”
Ridiculous attempt at a flop after getting SEVERAL questionable roughing calls already this game. This is the reason people outside of KC don’t like Mahomes. https://t.co/qLfFxf26K7
— FF BirdGang (@FFBirdGang) January 18, 2025
Another fan also called this attempt ridiculous, saying, “What a ridiculous flop attempt by Mahomes, this is embarrassing.”
Hopefully, the league will begin addressing this issue in the offseason, as this simply cannot go on any longer. It’s one thing when a few people notice it, but when it’s virtually the entire NFL fan base, it has to be taken seriously.