NFL fans are convinced that the referees “cheated” in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs to help them win after their controversial victory over the Houston Texans. Is there a pattern of concern, or is this just collective jealousy harnessed from around the NFL landscape?
Fans Accuse Refs of Cheating To Help Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs
The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs was full of questionable calls, a defining theme throughout multiple games. While there were head-scratching calls in every game, the Chiefs’ victory over the Texans was by far the most controversial.
Multiple calls went in favor of Kansas City, leading fans to voice their frustration on social media. Some even began questioning whether the refs were “cheating” to help the Chiefs win.
Question: Do fans believe that the #NFL refs purposely cheat for the #Chiefs to win…?
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 19, 2025
Many fans took to the replies to answer this question and they did not hold back on the idea of the refs cheating.
“After watching the game today, I don’t know how you can say for certain they aren’t,” said one fan.
After watching this game today, I don’t know how you can say for certain that they aren’t
— Big Joe Gerrymander (@BigJGerrymander) January 19, 2025
Another fan added, “The Chiefs are a great team but not necessarily soo much better than everyone else. The problem is every play has ‘something’ you could call so when the Chiefs need it, they notice something to call. Doesn’t happen for any other team at the same level.”
The chiefs are a great team but not necessarily soo much better than everyone else. The problem is every play has ‘something’ you could call so when the chiefs need it, they notice something to call. Doesn’t happen for any other team at the same level.
— Amy (@sweetamy999) January 19, 2025
One fan brought money into play, saying, “Mahomes is their money maker. It’s entertainment now. Not what the game of football used to be.”
Mahomes is their money maker. It's entertainment now. Not what the game of football was meant to be.
— Andy K (@ahk12rings) January 19, 2025
Mahomes Receives Major Social Media Backlash for ‘Flopping’ in Chiefs’ Victory
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.”
What a ridiculous flop attempt by Mahomes 😂😂this is embarrassing pic.twitter.com/8pcU76KhZn
— Ace Football Analytics (@js_ace_football) January 18, 2025
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.
