NFL Rigged: Stats dispel ridiculous Chiefs-Taylor Swift conspiracy theory

The Kansas City Chiefs made it back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in the past five years, but it was far from easy. The Chiefs struggled mightily late in the regular season, highlighted by drops from wide receivers and a lack of protection from the offensive line. But once the playoffs arrived, it's like the Chiefs of old returned, and are now looking to win their third Super Bowl title in five years.

On Sunday, the Chiefs are set to take on the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl 54 rematch. There are plenty that are rooting against the Chiefs. Some are doing it because they see the Chiefs as heading down the New England Patriots dynasty route. Others are doing so because of Taylor Swift. Yes, that's right, because Swift is dating tight end Travis Kelce and is shown on screen during Chiefs games for less than one minute total, some viewers are openly and vehemently anti-Kansas City.

With Swift expected to attend Super Bowl 58 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, there are some that are against the Chiefs that claim the fix is in. That's right, they believe the NFL and referees are going to rig the game for the Chiefs. Well, there's one statistic that should debunk these theories.

NFL Rigged: Stats dispel ridiculous Chiefs-Taylor Swift conspiracy theory

ESPN ran an analysis of penalty data, and it showed that even though the Chiefs did see percentage of overall game penalties lower in the playoffs than in the regular season, "they did not benefit from fewer penalties than their opponents in the regular season."

In case you needed more proof, the Chiefs were called for more penalties (including those declined or offset) than their opponents in 12-of-17 regular season games, per ESPN. The Chiefs were penalized 126 times, sixth-most in the NFL while opponents were penalized 95 times, which is the third-fewest in the league.

In terms of records, the Chiefs were 7-5 when they were penalized more than their opponents, while they were 4-1 in games where they received fewer penalties. As for the game that Swift attended, the Chiefs had fewer penalties in just five of the nine games the pop star attended, per ESPN.

As you can see, there isn't a fix in to ensure that Swift can be on the field to watch Kelce hoist a Lombardi Trophy in Las Vegas. The Chiefs are penalized more often than their opponents, and they still manage to win the majority of their games.

For those that are going to be irrationally angry about the thought of the Chiefs winning and Swift celebrating, maybe try to just enjoy the game? Or, don't watch the Super Bowl at all. Just a thought.