Posted on 01/27/2025 8:20:21 PM PST by lasereye
The only thing hotter than a ticket for the Bills-Chiefs AFC title game might be football fans' hatred for referees' perceived partiality toward the Chiefs.
I caught wind of a penalty trend from Warren Sharp (Sharp Football Analysis) via ESPN and had to see for myself just how rare it was historically. Turns out, Kansas City is in rare air. The Chiefs have gone 11 straight playoff games without committing more penalties than their opponents, the longest streak by any team in the last 30 years.
The only teams with longer streaks in playoff history were the 1970-82 Dolphins (18) and 1984-91 Broncos (12).
That's right. Since the 2021 postseason, the Chiefs have more penalties than their opponent zero times in 11 playoff games (0%). During the regular season in that span, they have more penalties than their opponents in 25 of 68 games (37%).
That is a very abnormal disparity in the playoffs, even with the relatively small sample.
If you look at the entire Patrick Mahomes era as a starter (since 2018), the Chiefs are second-worst in penalty yard differential during the regular season, but best in the playoffs.
This, of course, comes on the heels of a public outcry after two very questionable hits on Mahomes were flagged from Saturday's win over the Texans. Not to mention, Mahomes' laughable flop later in the game.
For the record, Mahomes has not gotten the most roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness calls in the league since 2018.
In fact, Josh Allen has been on the receiving end of more roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness calls than Mahomes in each of the last 7 seasons, including playoffs. The total in that span is 61 for Allen, 39 for Mahomes. They are both still among the league leaders since 2018.
Complaints about penalties against Mahomes are probably overblown because of the gravity of the situations we have seen them in. It's still hard to chalk up the overall Chiefs penalty disparity to great coaching. We are talking about ELEVEN straight playoff games they haven't had more penalties than their opponents.
Needless to say, all eyes will be on the referees in Sunday's AFC title game.
The Buffalo Bills committed 6 penalties for 48 yards. They were flagged a total of 8 times.
The Kansas City Chiefs committed 5 penalties for 21 yards. They were flagged a total of 6 times.
I would like to see a summary of how many times plays (in the playoffs) that would have resulted in first downs or went for a TD were negated by holding penalties on the Chiefs' opponent, compared to how many times that happened to KC.
I would also like to see how many times a failed third or fourth down conversion was kept alive by a personal foul call against the Chiefs' opponent, and eventually resulted in a score, compared to the number of times it happened to KC. Again that would be playoff games.
Then there was the bizarre call that Worthy caught the ball when it clearly hit the ground, and the two questionable spots that denied first downs to Buffalo.
Yeah, those instances don't show up in the penalty stats.
I heard someone suggest it’s marketing. NFL owns all rights and images. Ms.Swift will look good in the NFL promos and documentaries.
Not if enough of us are too fed up with the cheat to watch or buy their merch.
That won't matter because now you'll have "Swifties" watching the game.
They weren't watching football previously.
Ugh. NFL ruined football.
The whole country is on the edge of their seats wanting the KC Chiefs and Taylor Swift to win. This is football royalty. A monarchy if you will. The universe runs on rules of physics and it only makes sense this is what should happen. If, for some unknown reason, the Chiefs lose (God forbid!), expect earthquakes, hurricanes, forest fires and a meteor strike. We can’t let that happen. So buy the KC Chiefs merchandise. Buy, buy, buy. So Mudder Erf will be placated.
It’s not the referees... It’s the gambling.
The NFL is a $19 billion dollar business yearly... Yesterday, there was likely that much money bet on it worldwide. There was a time when the NFL ‘pretended’ that gambling wasn’t part of the NFL... The line, the spread, etc... Wasn’t never even mentioned by networks covering the sport or by the NFL itself. The phony assertion was that when it came to sports and gambling, never the twain shall meet.
The closest thing to gambling, was the analysis offered by ‘Jimmy the Greek’ on Monday night... In which he wouldn’t even mention the spread.
Now every game includes gambling commercials and continuous gambling analysis that includes lines, spreads, over and under, etc., etc... And with electronic gambling... You can bet while the game is actually in progress and on every aspect of the game. You can bet what the score will be after every quarter, how many field-goals will be kicked, how many TD’s will be scored, etc., etc. It’s overtaken the entire sport and it’s overtaken every sport... Not just the NFL.
All this gambling obviously leads to suspect play calls, suspect penalty calls and suspicious activity throughout the game... Who’s on the take, who isn’t on the take. Gambling and it’s ability through technology to offer instantaneous transactions has ruined sports.
Where'd you get that from?
Strategically called holding penalties will be the only way to stop Saquon. We’ll see if the Chiefs get them.
What?!
Like hearing that Joe Namath might have known about such gambling after he quit playing football?
It does seem weird that no one wanted Derrick Henry or Barkley in the offseason except the teams that got them.
Not even offers from other teams that they could turn down.
Side note: The Chiefs have not scored more than 32 points in a regular or post season game this season.
Betting odds should have a Trump alternative challenge the NFL and ruin their scam version of Survivor.
Last year’s playoff gane against Cincinnati was the game Joe Burrow learned that he could not win against the script and the ref’s.
It was NOT specific to the Chiefs.
How many NFL games have hinged on a face mask call this year?
Any 15 yard penalty called in the 4th quarter of close game will likely determine the outcome of the game.
Sometimes they call it when it’s clearly not and sometimes they just don’t call an obvious face mask.
Since a face mask call cannot be reviewed, the game with the missed call STINKS to high heaven.
My post mentioned 4th Quarter, the MISSED face mask call in Sunday's Chief's game was in the First Quarter and led to an immediate touchdown.
The call was on the Bills for a face mask that was CLEARLY not a face mask.
Romo and Nance pointed the play out and Gene Senatore commented that "I would like to have seen it not called."
The Bills played "tight" and I'm not sure they deserved to win.
That said the margin with two teams this closely matched is thin and KC had the home field advantage that it had deservedly earned.
But when the margin is that close it could be argued that the Bills could not overcome one missed call let alone more than one.
It is hard to say which and how many referees are on the take, but we know this much— the NFL is run by marketers; and gambling interests, once the bane of professional sports, are now full partners. Online bookie operations are bringing you the game, and if that doesn’t tell you something, then bless your heart.
As a fan or the NFL for several decades until I learned that DOD was paying the NFL for the so-called “Military Appreciation Day” I whole heartedly hope that the NFL crashes and burns. If they allow officiating to become a new iteration of “safe and secure elections” where trust is lost, then they deserve such a fate in spades.
HARD TO ROUGH A PASSER WHO CAN SCRAMBLE LIKE MAHOMES.
Super Bowl announcer, “as the Kansas City Chiefs take the field for today’s Super Bowl we like to, wow, there’s a penalty on their entrance! Look there’s the referee walking off 15 yards against their opponents.”
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