As in American life, perception is often reality in the NFL.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his team appeared to receive a bevy of favorable calls in 2024—and thus, the public deemed that belief fact. The narrative dogged the Chiefs right up until their 40–22 Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 9, at which point it suddenly and mysteriously died down.
On Wednesday, much to the chagrin of a conspiracy-loving nation, the NFL released a study that appeared to find no correlation between a quarterback’s status and the number of favorable calls he received. Mahomes did receive slightly more calls than the median quarterback, but not by much.
Wondering how the officials treated your favorite team’s quarterback? Take a look at this chart, shared in its original incarnation by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
RANK |
QUARTERBACK |
TEAM |
CALLS RECEIVED |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
Tua Tagovalioa |
Dolphins |
7.32 |
2 |
Josh Allen |
Bills |
6.73 |
3 |
Bryce Young |
Panthers |
5.45 |
4 |
Cooper Rush |
Cowboys |
4.88 |
5 |
Kyler Murray |
Cardinals |
4.00 |
6 |
Jared Goff |
Lions |
3.81 |
7 |
Baker Mayfield |
Buccaneers |
3.60 |
8 |
Patrick Mahomes |
Chiefs |
3.53 |
9 |
Daniel Jones |
Giants |
3.41 |
10 |
Aaron Rodgers |
Jets |
3.31 |
11 |
Matthew Stafford |
Rams |
3.03 |
12 |
Jayden Daniels |
Commanders |
2.53 |
13 |
Jordan Love |
Packers |
2.47 |
14 |
Brock Purdy |
49ers |
2.46 |
15 |
Joe Burrow |
Bengals |
2.44 |
16 |
Caleb Williams |
Bears |
2.26 |
17 |
Kirk Cousins |
Falcons |
2.25 |
18 |
Sam Darnold |
Vikings |
2.10 |
19 |
Geno Smith |
Seahawks |
2.05 |
20 |
Justin Herbert |
Chargers |
2.01 |
21 |
Trevor Lawrence |
Jaguars |
1.96 |
22 |
Will Levis |
Titans |
1.92 |
23 |
Lamar Jackson |
Ravens |
1.74 |
24 |
Dak Prescott |
Cowboys |
1.59 |
25 |
Jameis Winston |
Browns |
1.49 |
26 |
Anthony Richardson |
Colts |
1.47 |
27 |
Gardner Minshew |
Raiders |
1.32 |
28 |
Russell Wilson |
Steelers |
0.96 |
29 |
Drake Maye |
Patriots |
0.85 |
T-30 |
Derek Carr |
Saints |
0.00 |
T-30 |
Jalen Hurts |
Eagles |
0.00 |
T-30 |
C.J. Stroud |
Texans |
0.00 |
T-30 |
Bo Nix |
Broncos |
0.00 |
As the league pointed out, quality quarterbacks are scattered throughout the rankings—making officiating bias, as in every sport, almost impossible to prove or disprove.
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