"The fix is in": NFL fans furious with referees unfairly favoring Kansas City Chiefs over Texans

Week 16's Kansas City Chiefs versus Houston Texans game became controversial, as NFL fans accused the officials of unfairly favoring the Chiefs again. Former The Kansas City Star columnist Jason Whitlock voiced his discontent on X.

"I'm a Chiefs fan. This officiating is hard to watch. It's embarrassing. It's criminal what's happening to the Texans," he tweeted on Saturday.

NFL fans watching the game joined in.

"Honestly, I just expect the other team to get screwed if they get close to KC," one tweeted.

More NFL fans jumped on the bandwagon to agree.

"It's horrible, the fix is in," one tweeted.

"NFL has pretty much confirmed everyone’s suspicions. The Chiefs have a one-way ticket to the Super Bowl, and it doesn’t matter how obvious it looks either," another tweeted.

"I stopped watching it. Sobobvious the refs are one-sided," one tweeted.

Kansas City Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes silenced doubters with a 15-yard TD in the first quarter. Not being deterred, the Texans trailed in the second quarter 7–10 and the team's defense swung the momentum.

As a well-timed blitz forced Patrick to fumble, the Texans could encash it by returning it to the end zone for a TD.

However, when NFL officials reviewed the play, they ruled that the Chiefs quarterback's arm was in a forward motion during the sack attempt, nullifying the fumble. Adding fuel to the fire, a roughing-the-passer penalty was called against the Texans for contact to Mahomes’ helmet.

Next, the Kansas City Chiefs capitalized on the retained possession and executed a drive that led to another TD.

Kansas City Chiefs has time and again faced accusations of rigging NFL referees

The last instance was the Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. As the clock ticked late in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs led the Chargers 16–14.

However, there were claims of officiating bias, especially regarding uncalled penalties on Kansas City’s offensive line. Moreover, there were additional claims of repeated false starts.

Well, the debate over officiating fairness is not new. However, the Chiefs, led by Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, have become a frequent target for such accusations.

Most critics feel that NFL stars receive leniency because of favoritism.