It’s a victory Sunday for the Kansas City Chiefs and it should come as no surprise to fans that the NFL community is already making claims about “special treatment” versus the Miami Dolphins.
An X post from ‘Fantasy Fanatics’ has been surging on social media since Saturday evening, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is at the center of the controversy once again. “🚨First Time in NFL History🚨,” the post read. “Patrick Mahomes’ changing equipment between snaps is the first time in NFL history…”
“Changing equipment requires a timeout,” the account reasoned, “and a failure to do so results in a flag. Kansas City and Pat Mahomes get away with one here.”
In a follow-up post, the X user added that “This reminds me of when [cornerback L’Jarius] Sneed took his helmet off on the field, and instead of getting flagged, the refs whisper into his ear and tells him to put his helmet back on.”
“Why do the Chiefs get special treatment with the refs?” Fantasy Fanatics questioned.
🚨First Time in NFL History🚨
Patrick Mahomes’ changing equipment between snaps is the first time in NFL history…
Changing equipment requires a timeout, and a failure to do so results in a flag. Kansas City and Pat Mahomes get away with one here
— Fantasy Fanatics (@FFB_Fanatics) January 14, 2024
Now, typically, a random account making noise about KC on social media wouldn’t garner much attention, but this particular post has exploded with over 35K likes and 3.6K retweets — proving yet again that the NFL world is up in arms about the Chiefs winning another playoff outing.
Fans Ignore When Chiefs Don’t Get Calls
The irony of the Chiefs being accused of “special treatment” is that most Kansas City fans feel they are burned by the officials more often than not. The truth — as always — lies somewhere in between.
For example, the Jawaan Taylor block in the back penalty that negated Rashee Rice’s second touchdown against the Dolphins was called into question by members of the Chiefs community like KC radio host Joshua Brisco.
“Jawaan Taylor got shoved in the back, leading to his block in the back,” Brisco stated after the flag. Pointing out: “What is he supposed to do there?”
Jawaan Taylor commits a block in the back and takes away a Chiefs touchdown. #MIAvsKC pic.twitter.com/NTcQhI4aZk
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) January 14, 2024
The popular MLFootball on X also criticized refs for missing a holding call on left tackle Donovan Smith — meanwhile Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins blatantly shoves Mahomes to the ground at the end of the play.
CRAZY: HOW THE HELL IS THIS NOT A HOLDING CALL ON THE #CHIEFS.
They keep getting away with this. It’s ABSURD. The #NFL refs are back at it.
Mike McDaniel is GOING CRAZY😳😳😳
pic.twitter.com/yahOT5wXcN— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 14, 2024
Having said that, the Chiefs won this playoff outing by 19 points. The penalty margin was also close in terms of yardage (8-for-62 compared to 5-for-45 in favor of KC) — and the Miami offense never did much to threaten Kansas City outside of a 53-yard touchdown by Tyreek Hill.
In other words, the officials did not decide this game, the Chiefs did. Fans argue over inconsistent penalty calls every week — which just goes to show that nobody is happy with the refs in the modern-day NFL.
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Steals the Show in Wild Card Round
Part of the reason that the Chiefs moved the ball so much better than the Dolphins was Rashee Rice.
The rookie wide receiver out of SMU was spectacular on January 13, with eight receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown. Even more impressive were his yards after catch.
Rashee Rice gained a career-high 130 receiving yards on 8 receptions, the 2nd-most yards by a rookie in a playoff game since 2016.
Rice had all 12 of his targets come against off coverage, taking advantage of the cushion with 80 yards after the catch.#MIAvsKC | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/xympWF37da
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 14, 2024
Next Gen Stats recorded “80 yards after the catch for Rice in this outing, and it was evident if you watched the game. The wideout was running free after drag routes and short passes from Mahomes, which was key considering the wind.
You might say the Chiefs beat the Dolphins at their own game on the backs of Rice and tight end Travis Kelce. Miami tends to rely on Hill, Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane in similar ways, but they were unable to get anything going in Kansas City.
