NFL does little to quell fears of Chiefs narrative with Super Bowl referee revelation

As the Kansas City Chiefs chase their third straight Super Bowl, the officials from their Divisional Round postseason win over the Houston Texans have been in the news for the wrong reasons. Clay Martin and Co. made some favorable calls which benefitted Patrick Mahomes and Co., who remains undefeated in games officiating by Martin. His explanation for some of those calls –specifically two penalties that went in favor of Mahomes – was less than ideal.

"I had forcible contact to the face mask area so I went with roughing the passer on that play," Martin. said. "So, he slid, obviously, and when he slides, he is considered defenseless. The onus is on the defender. I had forcible contact there to the hairline, to the helmet."

Thankfully, Martin will not get the call for the Super Bowl should the Chiefs make it that far. However, Roger Goodell didn't do the league any favors, and ought to have a talk with PR for the most recent graphic sent to insiders and news breakers.

I have no issue with Ron Torbert, at least not yet. He's very good at his job or else the NFL wouldn't have selected him as the head referee for the greatest spectacle the sport has to offer. However, why is this graphic literally Chiefs colors? Surely we could've done better.

The NFL's officiating graphic looks like the Chiefs revealing their starting offense or a free-agent signing. That's not what you want, and fans were quick to point it out.

The jokes write themselves.

How does the NFL pick refs for the Super Bowl?

The NFL selects Super Bowl referees based on two factors – performance and experience. Torbert has both of those things, and surely must've been rated highly by his peers, players and coaches to receive this honor. It's always our hope that such a big game goes on without a hitch, with the officials fading into the background rather than forcing their way into the spotlight. Whichever two teams player in the Super Bowl ought to receive the vast majority of focus in coverage, rather than the officials.

Torbert's usual crew averaged 17 penalties per game, which was third most in the NFL. However, this is not his usual crew, which leads to complications and a few benefits. First, don't expect as many flags – the league wants to let the two teams play, and throwing too many flags is worse than missing a call or two, especially to the casual viewer. Second, Torbert will have to prep with his new crew prior to the big game, and communication will be key in ensuring nothing goes wrong behind the scenes.