For those fans who wonder if the NFL hears or even cares about your criticism, this latest bit of news should confirm that they hear you loud and clear. Many fans who are not rooting for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have been outraged about “alleged” favoritism from referees towards two-time MVP and his squad.
Those complaints only got louder in 2024 and had the Chiefs not been stomped out by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX earlier this month, a record number of fans would have lost it altogether.
But fear not, because the NFL was paying attention and they’ve even gone the extra mile in proving to fans while attempting to clear the good names of their officiating crews. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network posted a graphic of the number of fouls drawn by quarterbacks per 100 hits for the 2024 campaign.
In the graphic, you’ll see that Tua Tagovailoa ranked No. 1 among most fouls drawn, not Mahomes. It's sad that the NFL even wasted their time with this and then sent Garafolo as a messenger.
The league reviewed the number of fouls drawn by QBs to see if there’s preferential treatment from officials and found there’s no pattern. The #Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa was the most fouled passer per 100 hits this past season. pic.twitter.com/xmAcHEcEus
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 26, 2025
NFL tries once again to absolve refs of Chiefs favoritism
The fact is the NFL can come up with all the stats and graphics they want and it still won’t change the minds of fans who believe the Chiefs and especially Mahomes get preferential treatment.
That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true, but when the league tries this hard to prove themselves, it’s never a good look. Fans already cannot stand the sight of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and something like this only furthers in their minds that the league is corrupted.
This is one of those instances where Goodell and his minions were better off staying silent and at least appearing to ignore the masses. The Eagles didn’t give the league, officials or the Chiefs much of an opportunity for any shenanigans (whether legit or perceived) in the Super Bowl. But had that game been close in the fourth quarter who knows what kind of goofy calls we may have seen go one way or the other.
It’s just that in those situations, it feels like they go the way of KC more often than not.