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Chiefs' absurd penalty streak in playoffs does little to dispel notion that referees favor Kansas City
CBS Sports ^ | Jan 22, 2025 | Douglas Clawson

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.


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: breadandcircuses; cbs; chiefs; gambling; gamblingindustry; kansascity; nfl; nonsense; playoffs; refereecalls; referees; seebs; sportsbetting; taylorswift; wwe
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To: lasereye

I’m more concerned by the one inch...which turned the ball over to Kansas City...and that was with two refs disagreeing.


21 posted on 01/28/2025 3:48:57 AM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: Sacajaweau

It was the third down play before, that was even more egregious. Should have never been a fourth down.


22 posted on 01/28/2025 4:28:33 AM PST by TheRake ("It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled". ~Mark Twain)
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To: Sacajaweau

A big name player has to call them out. Shaquan Barkley.
Put the refs and the league on notice. It’s called truth to power.
Buffalo made it’s own mistakes but KC didn’t need ‘the help’.


23 posted on 01/28/2025 4:31:26 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET
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To: lasereye

I not some kind of football savant and I was rooting for the Bills but I saw the Chiefs driving harder and defending better . I knew how the game was going to end after the Chiefs first possession. 90 yards in nine plays, three first downs in a row. Would have been four but they were short by a yard. Assisting the Chiefs with flags would amount to gilding the Lily.


24 posted on 01/28/2025 4:45:22 AM PST by TalBlack (Time to use the Law and the Power. Good luck Mr. President.)
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To: lasereye
Where'd you get that from?

Five decades of watching sports. Penalties and turnovers are generally bad things. They are a setback for the team that makes them.
25 posted on 01/28/2025 5:21:31 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
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To: Dr. Sivana

Undoubtedly you’re more observant than me. I’ve been watching football since the late 60’s. I never noticed that!


26 posted on 01/28/2025 6:21:02 AM PST by lasereye
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To: Dr. Sivana

I meant I never noticed your original claim: “Teams that lose tend to make more penalties late in a game”


27 posted on 01/28/2025 6:38:19 AM PST by lasereye
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To: jerod

Oh no they mentioned “the line” all the time. They just made sure to never call it “the Vegas line” or intimate that it was related to gambling. It was just “the line”. And Jimmy was on Sundays, CBS pregame show. And he mentioned the line CONSTANTLY, that was literally his entire job, and flirting with Phyllis.

Of course now sports gambling is legal across the entire country. And everyone in the league makes enough money that the illegal bookies that still exist couldn’t afford to bribe them. So the entire situation has changed.

No all this gambling doesn’t lead to suspect calls. Because the league doesn’t make money directly on it (the books pay for ads and sponsorship but that’s indirect revenue for he NFL) and the books always set lines and odds such that they make money. The only thing that ever screws up the books is when people put their thumb on the scale, they WANT randomness, it works way better for them. Nobody needs to be on the take. At least not anymore than any business is supposed to be. Fixing the games would be bad for business.


28 posted on 01/28/2025 6:46:51 AM PST by discostu (like a dog being shown a card trick)
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To: Dr. Sivana
Teams that lose tend to make more penalties late in a game, and the Chiefs get to play at home against lower seeds much of the time, setting the table for leads (not so much this year, but ver much so at the beginning of the run).

Don’t confuse us with logic and facts. ;~)

29 posted on 01/28/2025 8:17:34 AM PST by Ditto
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To: lasereye

What a bunch of bullcrap. Chiefs put on a clinic and they will do the same in the Super Bowl.


30 posted on 01/28/2025 8:31:41 AM PST by Tommy Revolts
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To: discostu
Oh no they mentioned “the line” all the time.

Jimmy the Greek NEVER used exact numbers, though. He used adverbs to describe the margins, but NEVER a number.
31 posted on 01/28/2025 8:37:36 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
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To: Dr. Sivana

The whole world was really weird back then. Sports gambling was illegal almost everywhere, but the newspapers would publish the Vegas line. Jimmy would talk about the line but not say it. Everybody knew gambling happened, and enabled it, but pretended it wasn’t a thing. The NFL wouldn’t even let Vegas be mentioned during games or pre-game shows, NBC wasn’t even allowed to advertise their show named Vegas during games.

The only thing that’s really changed now is everyone is honest. Gambling is a part of sports. Always has been. Always will be. No more make believe.


32 posted on 01/28/2025 8:47:50 AM PST by discostu (like a dog being shown a card trick)
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To: lasereye



33 posted on 01/28/2025 9:00:14 AM PST by Tommy Revolts
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To: discostu
NBC wasn’t even allowed to advertise their show named Vegas during games.

Vega$ was on ABC.
34 posted on 01/28/2025 9:25:28 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
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To: lasereye
Use technology. Put a computer chip in the ball with a sensor at the first down marker. I thought Allen had the first down in the fourth quarter when watching it live. And the pass to Worthy should have been ruled incomplete.

I also would put a ref in the press box with a TV monitor that would have the authority to overturn egregious bad calls.

35 posted on 01/28/2025 9:34:02 AM PST by IndyTiger
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To: discostu

I’ll tell you what... I’ll worry about the gambling for you, but when you have actual players like the Toronto Raptors’ Jontay Porter betting on himself and being suspended for life... You need to wonder just how many players and refs are on the take in every sport. Some of them make lots of money, or don’t need the money... Others could always use a couple of extra bucks... Like Jontay.


36 posted on 01/28/2025 9:41:12 AM PST by jerod (Nazis were essentially Socialist in Hugo Boss uniforms... Get over it!)
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To: Dr. Sivana

Other Vegas show. With James Caan, early 2000s. Sorry that one was Las Vegas. Although ABC probably wasn’t allowed to advertise the Robert Urich show either.


37 posted on 01/28/2025 10:20:24 AM PST by discostu (like a dog being shown a card trick)
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To: jerod

Sure it’s not going to be entirely without problem. But what we’re really seeing here is a benefit of the legalized gambling. Do you really think a player like Porter wouldn’t have been placing illegal bets on himself (watch that 30 for 30 about the Bulls 6th ring, NBA gamble a lot)? But with legalized gambling and the leagues being in partnership with the books they get the information and get to suspend the player. As opposed to waiting for accidental information to come to them about Pete Rose.


38 posted on 01/28/2025 10:24:17 AM PST by discostu (like a dog being shown a card trick)
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To: lasereye

Could it be that Kansas City is simply a better disciplined team, and commits fewer violations?


39 posted on 01/28/2025 10:48:26 AM PST by JimRed (TERM LIMITS, NOW! Finish the damned WALL! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH! )
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To: texas booster
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.

Not sure about Henry, but I've read that Saquon Barkley turned down at least 2 offers when he chose the Eagles. And, honestly, I get why the NFL would want the Chiefs (Taylor/Travis=new demographic), but I don't know why Philly would be the other choice. They're not a popular team elsewhere and Hurts is not a "charismatic" QB -- I'd think they would rather have a pretty-boy QB or a popular team that has had a hard-luck story for years (Cowboys). Unless the thinking is that everyone hates the Eagles more, so they won't be pissed if the Chiefs win again???

40 posted on 01/28/2025 11:49:59 AM PST by twyn1 (“An evil man will burn his own country to the ground to rule over the ashes”)
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