Pressure is building for the NFL to make changes in their refereeing after multiple controversial calls in the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round of the AFC playoff picture.
NFL Fans and Analysts Call for Changes To Be Made After Controversial Reffing
Throughout the Chiefs’ victory over the Texans, many fans took to social media to voice their frustration with the referees as multiple controversial calls gave the Chiefs an advantage.
As the game went on, these frustrations grew worse, and more and more poor calls were made. One fan even said, “the refs blatantly help the chiefs and if you don’t see this you’re delusional.”
the refs blatantly help the chiefs and if you don’t see this you’re delusional
— timthetatman👑 (@timthetatman) January 18, 2025
Another fan added that not only is this frustrating but it’s embarrassing for the NFL, saying, “Refs are clearly favoring one side and it’s an embarrassment to the sport.”
Refs are clearly favoring one side and it’s an embarrassment to the sport
— Nick Schwager (@NickSchwagerNFL) January 18, 2025
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert also chimed in, adding, “I really can’t stand watching this. It’s unbearable at this point man.
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They get away with this every single week and it’s changing the outcomes of games.”
I really can’t stand watching this. It’s unbearable at this point man. They get away with this every single week and it’s changing the outcomes of games.
That ref can’t even see the hit.
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) January 18, 2025
NBC Sports analyst Matthew Berry also voiced his frustration, saying, “Really wish they would let the teams on the field decide this and not the refs. Some really bad calls so far that have clearly affected the game.”
Really wish they would let the teams on the field decide this and not the refs. Some really bad calls so far that have clearly affected the game.
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) January 18, 2025
It wasn’t just the fans that thought the calls were ridiculous as even NFL legend Troy Aikman voiced clear frustration on the broadcast.
“Oh, come on! I mean he’s a runner. I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit,” said Aikman. He also added that he “could not disagree more” with the call.
Additionally, Aikman pushed for changes to be made in the NFL in regards to reffing, saying, “They’ve gotta address it in the offseason.”
"Oh, come on! I mean, he's a runner. I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit." – Troy Aikman
"The two Houston players hit each other. That should not have been a foul." – Russell Yurk
"They've gotta address it in the offseason…" – Aikman 🏈🎙️🦓 #NFL https://t.co/vXj2v7VTKg pic.twitter.com/QioQ5IQwhg
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 18, 2025
NFL analyst Warren Sharp voiced his support for both Aikman and Joe Buck as they kept it real on the broadcast, criticizing the referees where they saw fit and doing it on a national scale.
Sharp believes they could play a big part in the NFL deciding to make changes, saying, “Taking a second to compliment Aikman and Buck for not being afraid to criticize horrible refs making horrible calls on national tv. normalize this and we might fix it.”
taking a second to compliment Aikman and Buck for not being afraid to criticize horrible refs making horrible calls on national tv
normalize this and we might fix it
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 19, 2025
Hopefully, as Sharp said, this kind of support can lead to the NFL sitting down and thinking about how they can minimize the impact of a bad call. One bad call is enough to completely alter a game, and even if it’s blatantly wrong, there’s still nothing the team can do about it. This simply can’t be the case moving forward.
