The Kansas City Chiefs are once again back in the Super Bowl, and for many fans, it’s a sign that the National Football League wants them to be there. 

Given the Chiefs’ first two playoff games thus far, it’s hard to argue. They benefited from two controversial penalties on Patrick Mahomes against the Houston Texans, then benefited from a bewildering review process on a contested catch and a brutal missed first down call against the Buffalo Bills. 

But if you ask former head of NFL officiating Dean Blandino, he doesn’t think there’s enough there to say that the NFL really does favor Kansas City. Blandino spoke to TMZ Sports this week and said he “doesn’t see” that the Chiefs get all the calls.

“People are talking about officiating a little too much. … It’s always going to be a part of the conversation,” Blandino said.

“Do teams get breaks at times? They do. And not every call is right. And sometimes that happens. I think it evens out over time. Me watching it, I don’t see these games and say the Chiefs are getting all these calls. These are close, close plays, and they happened to go in the Chiefs’ favor on Sunday.”

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts on stage after the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 26, 2025. Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Blandino Is Probably Right, But Chiefs Do Seem To Benefit More Often

He continued, saying that he understands fans’ concerns, but that the likelihood of a “conspiracy” is effectively zero.

“I get it. I’m a fan first. I grew up in New York as a Knicks fan watching Michael Jordan crush my dreams and saying, ‘The league wants Michael Jordan in the championships.’ Ultimately, when you’re a part of the NFL and you realize, for it to really be a conspiracy, do you know the amount of people that would have to be involved? 

“Someone somewhere would slip up, and it would get out. If there was a room in the NFL office where they were writing the script, they never invited me, and I was the head of officiating. I feel like I’d be a pretty important contributor to that. I get it. People are passionate. I just think, sometimes, officials make mistakes. … sometimes, when you have a team that has been this successful, I think it’s par for the course.”

Blandino’s right that the NFL is almost certainly not “rigged,” or putting its foot down to benefit the Chiefs. But it doesn’t have to be in order for them to disproportionately benefit from missed calls.

One of the biggest aspects of home field advantage is not crowd noise, it’s officiating. That’s the biggest variable in measuring and explaining why teams across sports win more often at home. 

The Chiefs essentially play every postseason game, except for the Super Bowl obviously, at home. There’s your biggest advantage right there. Of course, Mahomes has also perfected the art of manipulating the refs, as has Travis Kelce with his now infamous flop during the AFC Championship game. And fans are justified in being frustrated about all those factors. 

It just doesn’t have to rise to the level of conspiracy in order for the Chiefs to have an advantage. As if they needed more of them.