Once again, the officiating in a Kansas City Chiefs game has become a focal point of discussion, following their win over the Houston Texans last weekend.
The Chiefs’ victory featured two controversial unnecessary roughness penalties, both of which left fans questioning the fairness of the calls.
One of the contentious flags was thrown against Houston’s Will Anderson Jr. for a supposed late hit on Patrick Mahomes.
After the game, Anderson expressed frustration, saying the Texans felt they were battling more than just the Chiefs.
“We knew it was going to be us against the refs going into this game,” Anderson said with frustration.
Fans and commentators have not held back their criticisms.
Polarizing personality Skip Bayless even suggested that the NFL is rigging games in Kansas City’s favor to increase the likelihood of showcasing pop star Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl.
However, former NFL Vice President of Officiating and current FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira has dismissed these conspiracy theories.
Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, Pereira pushed back on accusations of bias, calling them unfounded and downright crazy.
“The fact that you’re looking out for anyone, any team, any individual is a myth. It is an absolute myth,” Pereira said. “You don’t have time to react and say, ‘This is [Jared] Goff, I’m not going to call this because it’s Goff,’ or, ‘This is Mahomes, I’ve got to call this because it’s Mahomes.'”
Pereira also rejected the idea of “make-up calls,” where referees allegedly try to balance out a prior questionable decision with a second questionable call.
“You don’t want to get fired,” Pereira said. “You just want to be right.”
(Let’s be honest, many fans would disagree that “make-up calls” have never happened.)
Despite refuting claims of intentional favoritism, Pereira acknowledged that neither of Saturday’s debated penalties should have been called.
While NFL officiating head Walt Anderson stood by both decisions, Pereira suggested the league might be backing its referees to avoid additional scrutiny.
“Both of those, in my opinion, should’ve been passed on,” Pereira admitted. “I understand why they were called because we are in a time of protection of quarterbacks and pretty much everybody.
“But when the league came out and defended them … that doesn’t mean they want them to be called.”
Pereira, who frequently defends officials, was candid about the challenges they face.
He had strong words for those criticizing calls without understanding the realities of officiating.
“If you haven’t done it and you don’t recognize how hard it is in real time and how easy it is in super slow motion, then get out of my train,” he said.
The topic of whether officials have a Chiefs-bias or not is certainly stirring plenty of debate.
While most fans agree that there’s not some sort of secret, league-mandated conspiracy to favor the Chiefs, blown calls like the ones that happened last week certainly don’t help matters.
Needless to say, all eyes will be on Arrowhead Stadium this Sunday when Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills attempt to dethrone the back-to-back champs.
What are your thoughts on the matchup? … Should the Bills be worried that they could get screwed like the Texans did???
