NFL fans were again outraged by referees on Wednesday when several calls went the way of the Chiefs in their 29-10 victory over the Steelers.
Viewers and even players have criticized the league all season for a perceived bias towards the two-time defending champions.
And that theory took hold again on Christmas Day, with fans pointing out several questionable moments in the game.
In the first quarter, Pittsburgh got a touchdown from Jaylen Warren that was called back on a holding call, those fans considered questionable. Russell Wilson threw an interception on the next play.
Fifteen minutes later referees whistled a play dead for forward progress after a short catch by George Pickens. As the receiver was pushed back, he was still moving his feet and expecting a big gain if the play stayed alive.
And in the second half, Kansas City appeared to get away with one when Marquise Brown was credited with a catch, even though the ball bounced up and down and ended up on the ground.
The above play was ruled a Marquise Brown catch even though the ball hit the ground
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce played a comfortable win for Kansas City
The Chiefs got the next playoff quickly so it couldn’t be challenged by the Steelers.
Not for the first time this season, fans suggested the Chiefs were favored by the referees.
‘Absolutely terrible. This is faked,” one wrote.
“Because it’s the Chiefs… for the past few seasons it seems like ‘@NFLOfficiating is siding with Mahomes and his team,’ another said.
A third added“Replay assist has to compensate for that every time. They >>chosen
It wasn’t until last Saturday that fans were outraged when a would-be Patrick Mahomes fumble was overturned by the officials in a huge swing against the Texans.
Mahomes appeared to fumble in the Chiefs’ own territory in the second quarter, with the Texans scooping up the live ball and returning it for a touchdown.
However, the officials quickly reversed the decision in a major way: they ruled the play an incomplete pass and moved Kansas City 15 yards down the field due to a rough call by the passer on Derek Barnett.
Mahomes appeared to fumble during the second quarter of Saturday’s game against the Texans
However, the play was deemed incomplete – with 15 yards taped for roughing the passer
The linebacker did hit Mahomes in the facemask on the play, but that was after the ball had left the quarterback’s hands.
Fans found the reverse outcry “embarrassing,” when even players had previously taken aim at the Chiefs’ alleged special treatment.
After a crucial pass interference call went the Chiefs’ way in their win over the Bengals in September, the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons said Kansas City got assistance from the officials.
“That game was pretty crazy… a lot of calls went both ways, and I’ll be honest… I felt like the referees favored the Chiefs a little bit more,” he said on his podcast, The edge.’
The Giants’ Darius Slayton also criticized the NFL’s crackdown on on-field celebrations, pointing out how Mahomes, Juju Smith-Schuster and the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb were not punished for executing a similar first down party like him.