Adam Schefter fires up fans over Chiefs’ playoff-clinching penalty

The Kansas City Chiefs they are currently preparing for the AFC Championship game on Sunday night against the Buffalo Billswith the right to go to the Superbowl on the line. Kansas City got to this point relatively easily win over the Houston Texans in the divisional round, but it was not without controversy.

During that game against Houston, the Chiefs had not one but two controversial personal fouls, one for roughing the passer and the other for unnecessary roughness, both involving quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The calls did nothing to quell the growing narrative that the Chiefs benefited from some questionable officiating during their dynastic run, and more recently from NFL insiders Adam Schefter ESPN added fuel to the fire with some statistics during that period, according to Paul Hembekides.

Schefter noted on X, formerly Twitter, that the Chiefs have been called for zero passing errors during their current eight-game postseason streak, while their opponents have been whistled for a combined six.

In addition, Kansas City was flagged for just one unnecessary roughness while their opponents were called for four.

Schefter also noted that because of the controversy surrounding Mahomes’ call in the Texans game, “the NFL’s replay assist is expected to expand this offseason to plays that could involve the quarterback.”

Are principals favored by judges?

Superstar teams and players getting the benefit of the doubt on questionable calls has been a tradition in sports long before Mahomes and the Chiefs rose to prominence. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, for example, have been the beneficiaries of several infamous calls over the years, including the “Tuck Rule” game against the Raiders.

In basketball, players like Michael Jordan and LeBron James have also been known to get the occasional friendly whistle, and fans in Sacramento won’t soon forget the fourth quarter of Game 6 of their 2002 playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Just because there’s precedent doesn’t necessarily make it right, though, and the NFL can bet fans will be paying close attention to how the AFC Championship Game plays out on Sunday.