NFL Officials Don't Favor The Kansas City Chiefs. No, Really, Just Ask Andy Reid

NEW ORLEANS – A brisk walk around radio row at the Super Bowl LIX media center would convince anyone that officiating is a storyline for the looming title game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs and that story is mostly about favoritism on behalf of refs for the Chiefs.

It is such a thing that Chiefs coach Andy Reid was asked about it on Thursday. 

So, yeah, here we are.

Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs walks on the sideline during a game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on January 8, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images).

Andy Reid Denies Officials Bent

Reid was asked whether the attention on the Chiefs getting calls – in part coming from other NFL teams, including the Houston Texans after their divisional round game against Kansas City and then the Buffalo Bills after the AFC Championship game  – could cause officials to overcorrect and call the Super Bowl in favor of the Eagles.

"I don’t think the officials care about what’s said," Reid said. "They’re doing their job, and they’re doing it to the best of their ability."

So Reid isn't worried about the proverbial pendulum swinging against him. But he would argue it has never moved in his team's favor, either.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 21: Referee Carl Cheffers #51 speaks to Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs during a break in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on December 21, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

Reid: Officials Don't Favor Anyone

"They don’t favor one side or the other," Reid said of his friends in stripes. "That’s not how this thing goes. It’s a good story, but that’s not the reality of how it works. 

"You’d be insulting them to think that’s what they do. They go out, and they call it like they see it. There’s some, as a coach, I sit there and I go, ‘I don’t agree with it.’ There’s some I agree with. That’s how it goes."

So, what is he supposed to say?

Yeah, my team has gotten a seemingly inordinate number of timely and helpful calls this year and that's why we're here?

The facts remain that the Chiefs have to deal with opponents risking fines to speak out about controversial calls that have gone exclusively in favor of the Chiefs.

That doesn't diminish Kansas City's accomplishment in reaching Super Bowl LIX. It is merely part of the narrative that has reached the heights of the head coach's final press conference of the week.

Think about that.

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