Shocking ESPN Graphic Shows Just How Much Refs Have Favored Chiefs in the Playoffs

Stephen Douglas | Jan 22, 2025

Patrick Mahomes reacts during the fourth quarter of a 2025 AFC divisional round game against the Houston Texans. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs are currently in pursuit of their third straight Super Bowl. It's a feat no team has ever accomplished, but then again the Chiefs do a lot of things that no one else has ever done to such an extreme.

Like being favored by the officials for example. There's a popularly held belief among non-Kansas City fans that the Chiefs get an unfair whistle. That the yellow flags fly at an alarming rate in favor of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.

The accussations of favoritism were renewed during the divisional round as the Houston Texans were called for multiple 15-yard penalties that helped the Chiefs pull out a 23-14 win.

But this kind of thing just happens, right? There's no proof the Chiefs are really getting an advantage from the refs, right?

Well, this graphic from ESPN seems to indicate they actually are. Since 2021 the Chiefs have had a massive penalty advantage in the playoffs.

Here's that @ESPN graphic that @SharpFootball did a deep dive into on his site. pic.twitter.com/LWg10lh05x

— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) January 22, 2025

The graphic was so eye-popping that Warren Sharp did a deep dive to make sure it was accurate.

It was.

In 11 games KC's opponents have been called for more penalties and for more penalty yards 10 times. And they have a massive edge in judgement calls like pass interference and roughing penalties.

Before you decide the fix is in, understand that there's a reason this graphic starts in 2021 when Mahomes and the Chiefs had already won the Super Bowl two years earlier. During the 2020 playoffs the Chiefs were called for more penalties and penalty yards in two out of their three postseason games. Including Super Bowl LV, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were called for just four penalties for 39 yards while the Chiefs were called for 11 penalties totaling 120 yards.

Of course, that might explain everything. Tom Brady was the opposing quarterback and back when he was still playing—and constantly winning—everyone was convinced that the referees were in the bag for Brady. Now it's Mahomes. Maybe it wasn't a torch that was passed during their postseason games, but rather a yellow flag.

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