NFL fans think the Chiefs get help from the referees. Here is what the statistics show
Little attention is usually paid to the NFL referee assignments for games, but many fans were bent out of shape about who will be working the Chiefs-Texans playoff contest at Arrowhead Stadium.
It’s Clay Martin.
That doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it was to plenty of folks who saw it as the NFL doing what it can to help the Chiefs. That’s because the Chiefs have won all six games Martin has worked in the past.
Here are a few of those reactions.
Many people noted a possible factor for the Chiefs’ unbeaten record when Martin works: KC’s incredible success. Martin became a referee in 2018, the same year that Mahomes became the Chiefs starting quarterback and began the NFL’s current dynasty.
The outrage over the referee assignment is a continuation of the belief in some circles that NFL game officials help the Chiefs.
It’s not only fans in, say, Cincinnati or Buffalo who believe this narrative.
Chris Brockman, a New England fan, complained about it on “The Rich Eisen Show” when talking about dynasties.
“The Chiefs are doing it with the help of the league and the officials. The Patriots did it in spite of them,” Brockman said. “We did it in spite of the league doing everything they can to hold us down.”
Inside the numbers
That theory doesn’t quite hold water when you dig deeper into the penalty statistics.
Consider these stats from the 2024 regular season, via The Football Database website:
- The Chiefs were plus-20 yards in penalty differential, which ranked 16th in the NFL
- Offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor was the second-most penalized player this season
- The Chiefs were penalized 94 times, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. However, their 829 penalty yards were the 22nd-most in the league.
- The Chiefs’ 23 offensive holding calls were the sixth-most in the NFL.
- With 11 defensive holding calls, the Chiefs were tied for the ninth-most in the league.
Some interesting stats were shared on social media as well. In early December, the Chiefs had one of the lowest percentages of first downs picked up due to a penalty on their opponent. The Instagram account Pickinem shared this.
A common complaint is that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the beneficiary of calls from the officials.
But a Chiefs fan took a look at roughing-the-passer calls for active quarterbacks. Mahomes is near the bottom of this list, not the top.
Here’s another chart from Pickinem, which noted the Chiefs have had the second-most touchdowns called back because of a penalty over the past five seasons.
Adam Chernoff, a writer at Right Angle Sports, took a deep dive on the talk of the Chiefs being helped by officials.
Two key points: The Chiefs have not been helped when facing third and long this season, nor have they had more flags thrown in their favor late in a game.
“This season, in a year where the Chiefs are being labeled as the luckiest team ever, in the second half of games that are within one score either way, no team has had more flags thrown against them then the Kansas City Chiefs,” Chernoff said in a video he shared on X. “The complete opposite of what is the most common talking point.”
This story was originally published January 16, 2025 at 11:20 AM.
