As the Kansas City Chiefs continue their march towards a third consecutive Super Bowl Championship, controversy has continued to grow about the appearance of a refereeing advantage towards the team and its star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. 

And there is research showing that the Chiefs do benefit from an inordinate number of penalties called on their opponents. But what do people around the NFL, including former players, think about it?

Retired NFL legend Champ Bailey joined Fox News and talked about the controversial calls in last week’s Chiefs-Texans playoff game. And like everyone else, he disagreed with the two flags thrown on hits to Mahomes.

“It’s like everything else. They review everything,” he said. “So, when they’re able to go back and look at these type of plays, like the play I think you’re referring to on [Saturday] when he drops to the ground and then the guys go over him, don’t even hit him, but they appear to. You should be able to review that [on] some level and say, well, that wasn’t as egregious as we thought in real time, because those things change the trajectory of the game. You really change the outcome now.

“Defenders are hesitant to hit him, but here he is. He’s dancing around, toying around with the guys and making it seem like he’s the runner and then drops down, and now he’s protected like a quarterback. Once you’re outside of the pocket, man, it’s fair game. I don’t know why he’s protected when he’s outside of the pocket the way he was, because if he was the running back and did the same thing, do you think they throw the flag? No, they don’t.”

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Champ Bailey Has A Suggestion For NFL To Fix Officiating In Chiefs Games

Bailey suggested during the interview that the NFL could implement officiating reviews in real time to fix obvious mistakes. Like, for example, when the Texans were flagged for hitting each other in Mahomes’ vicinity. 

“So, let’s be consistent in that way, and when you get it wrong, try to get it right,” Bailey said. “I think the more they can get calls right in real time, the integrity increases in the game and people start to believe that the games aren’t fixed.”

When asked directly whether the NFL would go that far, Bailey said he doesn’t think so, but understands the complaints.

“I don’t feel like the games are fixed because I was in it, but when I’m sitting here every year – I’m out of the league – the more and more I start believing what the fans are saying about the games being ‘fixed,’ because you see things like this happen over and over, so they just got to figure out a way to get the calls right and live with it.”

When even former NFL superstars are complaining about the officiating, the league has a real, significant problem on its hands. Mahomes and the Chiefs have maximized the ability to draw flags, and home officiating bias gives them advantages few other teams have. It doesn’t require a grand conspiracy for Kansas City opponents to be treated unfairly. But it does mean that there needs to be a fix. 

Maybe officiating reviews are the way forward. Champ Bailey thinks so.