There’s been a growing conspiracy theory in the NFL world suggesting that the league and referees are rigging games to ensure the Kansas City Chiefs reach the Super Bowl. This theory hinges on the idea that high-profile players like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and even Taylor Swift generate significant viewership, leading to higher ratings and more money for the league.
On January 29, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid addressed these claims publicly for the first time when jokingly asked about them on the Pat McAfee Show. McAfee asked Reid if he was meeting with the refs before the Super Bowl to discuss the game, sporting a mischievous grin.
Reid simply chuckled and responded, “Yeah right.”
He then added, “Listen, I try not to pay attention to any of that stuff,” with a smile, brushing off the conspiracy theories.
McAfee continued, noting that it’s a familiar narrative, pointing out that the New England Patriots faced similar accusations during their dominant years. “It’s loud, coach,” McAfee said, commenting on how the noise grows after a team’s success.
Reid’s response was the end of the discussion, as McAfee moved on to the next topic.
Chiefs Becoming the NFL’s New Villain, Study Confirms
In line with the adage, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to become the villain,” it seems the Chiefs are moving from NFL darlings to a team that many fans love to hate. Once seen as the underdog attempting to topple the Patriots’ dynasty, the Chiefs, particularly with the emergence of Patrick Mahomes, have now achieved enough success to become the new villains in the eyes of many fans.
The Kansas City Chiefs are now facing the same scrutiny that once plagued Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, with a growing movement among fans, including the hashtag #NFLRigged. Following the AFC Championship game, some fans have even started a “Boycott the Super Bowl” movement, creating several hashtags like #BoycottSuperBowl and #BoycottSuperBowlLIX.
BetOnline.ag conducted a study of over 180,000 posts on X that included these hashtags, as well as fan identifiers like #BillsMafia, #RavensFlock, and others. Their results showed that Bills fans were the most vocal in their opposition to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl appearance, posting about boycotting the Super Bowl nearly 25,000 times. Ravens fans followed closely behind with over 22,400 posts, while fanbases from teams like the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, and Minnesota Vikings also posted significantly. Interestingly, AFC West rivals like the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders didn’t have much of a presence on the boycott list.
Chiefs Beat Reporter Refutes NFL Rigging Claims: Bills “Failed”
In response to the ongoing conspiracy theories, Chiefs beat reporter Pete Sweeney, from Arrowhead Pride, shot down the idea that the NFL is rigged in favor of the Chiefs. On January 28, he posted a series of statistics on X to debunk the idea that the Bills were unfairly disadvantaged in the AFC Championship game.
Sweeney pointed out several notable stats from the game:
Patrick Mahomes outgained Josh Allen on the ground, 43-39, including two crucial touchdowns that weren’t anticipated.
The Bills were just 9 of 20 on third and fourth down conversions (45%), compared to their 59% success rate in the first game.
The Bills’ defense allowed over 30 points to the Chiefs, something that only two NFC South teams had managed to do all season.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo generated 16 pressures, and Allen was only successful on 4 of 13 plays under pressure.
Finally, Sweeney offered the most important perspective: “If you had told the Bills they would have the ball down by three with three timeouts and 3:33 left on the clock, they’d have taken it 10 out of 10 times. They failed.”
Despite the statistical evidence, the noise surrounding the rigging theories is likely to continue throughout the Super Bowl and beyond, especially if the Chiefs defeat the Philadelphia Eagles.
