Chiefs vs. Bills Referee Assignment Could Be Bad News for Kansas City Bettors

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes doesn't have a good record with the ref for Bills-Chiefs. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The running joke around the NFL is the Kansas City Chiefs get a lot of fluke calls from the refs and that’s a big reason why they keep winning games and Super Bowls.

Well, for anyone who hates the Chiefs and believes the refs are biased toward them, I’ve got some good news for you and slightly bad news for anyone betting on the Chiefs to beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game. 

Chiefs vs Bills Referee Assignment 

On Monday, the NFL announced Clete Blakeman will be the head referee for Chiefs vs Bills. Blakeman has been the head ref for 11 Chiefs games with Patrick Mahomes as the starting QB and Kansas City is 6-5 in those games, according to ProFootballReference.

That may not seem like a bad record, but considering Mahomes is undefeated with eight other refs calling the game and is 10-2 with Shawn Hochuli, who is calling Commanders vs Eagles in the NFC Championship, and you see this is actually a more favorable matchup than some of the other assignments could have been.   

Blakeman’s crew called 16 games this season and his crew was tied for the most total penalties called and had the most yards called of any officiating group in the NFL according to NFL Penalties. That despite calling one fewer game than the next three highest penalty ref crews. 

Also of note, home teams won 31% of games Blakeman refereed this year compared to a 49% league average.

The last time Blakeman called a Chiefs game was on Christmas in 2023, when the Raiders upset the Chiefs, 20-14, in Kansas City. In that game, the Chiefs were called for five penalties for 45 yards compared to four penalties for 20 yards on the Raiders.  

Bills vs Chiefs Odds 

Via DraftKings Sportsbook

Moneyline 

• Chiefs -125
• Bills +105

Spread 

• Chiefs -1.5 (-115)
• Bills +1.5 (-105) 

The Chiefs have been set as 1.5-point favorites over the Bills in this game, though the moneyline has moved toward them since the open. The two teams have played three times in the last four playoffs with the Chiefs winning all three. This year, the Bills beat the Chiefs, 30-21, in Week 11 of the regular season. 

Bad calls or missed calls are a talking point coming out of every NFL game it seems. The Chiefs are certainly in opposing fan’s crosshairs for that every time they lace up. But, based on statistics, it seems this ref assignment is positive for the Bills. Or at least as positive as they can be considering all the Chiefs do is win. 

---

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.