3x Super Bowl champion fires warning shot about Chiefs despite officiating controversy

The Kansas City Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the seventh season running following their 23-14 win over the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium. While the reigning champions were heavy favorites to win the game, the victory was marred with controversy due to a few questionable refereeing calls in the Chiefs' favor.

Two 15-yard penalties against the Texans at critical junctures in the game became key talking points. However, three-time Super Bowl champion Mark Schlereth believes those calls overshadowed how exceptionally well the Chiefs' defense and special teams played against Houston.

During his appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show" on Monday, he said:

"I have a ton of respect for the Kansas City Chiefs. The personal foul and late hit on the quarterback, that wasn't what caused the eight sacks they [Houston Texans] gave up.

"That wasn't the cause of the lack of special teams' attention to detail and the blocked field goal and the return and all those things. Kansas City just puts you in a position for you to make a mistake."

Mark Schlereth pays homage to Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo

The Texans had an opportunity to cut the Chiefs' lead to three points late in the fourth. However, rather than sitting back and protecting the endzone, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up all-out pressure for five plays in a row.

The defense sacked quarterback C.J. Stroud on back-to-back plays, forcing Houston to settle for a field goal attempt, which linebacker Leo Chanel blocked at the line of scrimmage, virtually ending the game.

Mark Schlereth lauded Spagnuolo's playcalling and claimed his courage and the players' faith in him make the Chiefs difficult to beat. He said:

"I go back to Steve Spagnuolo. He blitzed about five straight plays in a row where he's playing zero coverage and saying, 'Hey, man, I have so much faith in my guys, their ability to get there if I design a blitz, their ability to cover on the back end of that thing, that we're just going to go after the quarterback and we're going to go get him.' The bottom line is, the Chiefs just go out and find ways to win."

Kansas City is only two wins away from an unprecedented third-straight Super Bowl win and while getting past the finish line won't be easy, few would bet against them.