The Chiefs Dynasty Debate: Examining the Mahomes Era and NFL Officiating Controversies
Breaking Down the Numbers: Penalty Statistics vs. Public Perception
Is the NFL Scripted?
The Kansas City Chiefs are a dynasty. It matters not if they win a third straight Super Bowl. They have captured consecutive championships, three since 2020, and dominated the AFC in a manner akin to the New England Patriots.
Like the Patriots, greatness can’t be accepted. There has to be an NFL script that has turned the Chiefs into the next big thing after Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots ran their course.

The parallels are astounding. The team starts to win after years of failing to earn jewelry. A quarterback turns into a mega-star. A brilliant coach figures out how to strategize victories in spite of every obstacle. Brady, Belichick, Patriots = Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs.
KEEP BRINGING IT, #CHIEFSKINGDOM pic.twitter.com/BUbIteA82a
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 19, 2025
Now, the Chiefs have a long way to go to equal what the Patriots did but they are on their way. How can anyone question a quarterback who has never had his season end before the AFC Championship Game? Mahomes is that damn good.
The Psychological Impact: Why Fans See Favoritism in Close Games
The idea that the NFL rigged Super Bowls or a Super Bowl is preposterous. What benefit does the league have in one team winning over and over while others suffer? Does one actually believe a Bills or Lions Super Bowl victory wouldn’t carry the same or more weight at the moment than a team with a dynasty?
Yes, it benefits every sport when there are great teams. Look at the history of most sports. People remember those who won more than once. For example, college basketball: Wasn’t it more of a force when the UCLAs and Dukes were creating polarizing feelings among fans? Now, you have a morass of parity and far less interest.
The NFL is different. It continues to be a juggernaut. And that is where the psychology of favoritism comes into play. The Chiefs, like the Patriots, are the most visible. Every play in every game is magnified. Call it jealousy or fan paranoia. Any call that goes in favor of KC becomes uber-focused. When penalties are called on the Chiefs, they are ignored.
“Roughing the passer” on Mahomes when he was quite literally not even hit.
The NFL game is truly unwatchable. Never seen a blatant rig job in my life. pic.twitter.com/vVwTKJ3Fgw
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) January 18, 2025
The lunacy spreads to alleged experts. Check this out: “Here’s where the controversy comes in and it’s uncomfortable but we’ll say it because it’s ‘First Take’,” Stephen A. Smith said. “We’ll bring up the fact that Patrick Mahomes has box office appeal. We’ll bring up the fact that Taylor Swift being a Chiefs fan doesn’t hurt [the team]. That doesn’t mean the officials go out there and intentionally do this stuff, but it ain’t like the audience doesn’t have a reason to say, ‘What the hell is going on here?‘”
His former colleague added to the furor of rumors:
“The memo will go out, just as it did last week, ‘make sure Taylor Swift makes it to New Orleans for the Super Bowl.’ Without her, the NFL loses millions and millions of viewers who will tune in, mostly to see what she’s wearing up in that Superdome luxury box,” Skip Bayless said. “So Mahomes, teetering though he might, must be propped up. Must be protected by the referees, just the way he was Saturday, at home against the Texans”.
The perception trickles into players’ minds.
“Everybody know how it is playing up here,” Houston Texans RB Joe Mixon said. “You can’t, you can never leave it into the refs’ hands. The whole world see, man, what it is, bro. It is what it is. Like I said, when it comes down to it, you can never leave it into the refs’ hands, man, and things like that. But, it’s all good.“Oh, and there is the overriding factor that when a team is better than another team the lesser team is going to make more mistakes than one with a championship pedigree.
The Chiefs are the second choice in Super Bowl odds heading into the conference championship games behind the Philadelphia Eagles. If the games were following an NFL script don’t you think sportsbooks would have the lines tilted heavily toward KC?
If there’s snow, make snow angels.
That’s the rule! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/xIZlR70MD3— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 19, 2025
Historical Parallels: From Brady’s Patriots to Mahomes’ Chiefs
Brady and Mahomes are similar but different. Brady was a sixth-round pick; Mahomes went to KC in the first after a trade for the 10th selection with the Buffalo Bills. Yes, those Buffalo Bills.Both players saw action in one game as a rookie. Mahomes had greater success by the numbers in his early career. That’s because the Chiefs were an offensive juggernaut.
And here is where the parallels become more interesting. The Patriots beat you as a team. You could never know what offensive or defensive player would step up and make a big play.
Don’t trip, it’s just Playoff Pat 🤷♂️@Chiefs | @PatrickMahomes pic.twitter.com/gPnV3q3jIE
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 21, 2025
This is what has happened in Kansas City. A powerhouse has transitioned into a team that does just enough on offense and forces mistakes on defense. It makes special teams plays while not making mistakes. Sound like the vintage Patriots? Like Brady, Mahomes props are no sure thing. He is more likely to throw for 200 or so yards than to go for 350-400.
The reality is for those who like to believe the NFL and officials benefit the Chiefs, it is sour grapes. In the words of the great Ric Flair, “To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man”.
And until someone beats the Chiefs, the crying critics need to stuff it and shut up.