DeAndre Hopkins calls out 'touchy calls' in Super Bowl LIX after Chiefs' officiating controversy

The narrative heading into Super Bowl LIX focused on the Chiefs’ perceived favor with the referees throughout the 2024 campaign, but Kansas City wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins pushed back on that following their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

There were a couple of debatable calls throughout the first quarter of the game. Some went the Chiefs way, and some went the way of the Eagles. As the dust settled on their 18-point loss, Hopkins went to bat for his teammates, calling out the way the game was officiated, and wondering what the media will say about Kansas City and the referees now.

“It’s my first year being with the Chiefs and I saw a lot of things in the media about the refs, but what are you all going to say now about the refs and us?” Hopkins said, following the demoralizing loss via FOX Sports. “There was a lot of touchy calls. Are you going to report that? Are you going to talk about the refs now?”

All told, Hopkins may have a point with certain calls throughout the game, but it feels like it wouldn’t have mattered if the referees were openly trying to fix the game for the Chiefs — Kansas City wasn’t beating Philadelphia on Sunday night, no matter what. The Eagles defense simply wasn’t going to let it happen in New Orleans.

From the jump, they played with their hair on fire, looking to avenge the franchise’s loss in the Big Game two years ago to the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes never put it into gear, and the Kansas City offense was lifeless until the game was too far out of hand. Uncharacteristic interceptions, a myriad of sacks and simply being off on many of his throws dug the quarterback’s team a hole too deep to climb out of.

Hopkins certainly expected to play better throughout the night, as well. In the end, he only amassed two catches for 18 yards, but he did put a garbage time touchdown on the board. It made the final score look better, and he’ll always be able to say he caught a touchdown in the Super Bowl, but it won’t ease the immediate pain of his team’s gut-wrenching loss.

The Chiefs only lost two games all year, but losing the finale to the Eagles will sting more than anything they could’ve felt along the way. It’s back to the drawing board for Patrick Mahomes, DeAndre Hopkins and Kansas City, as they look to get back to another Super Bowl next season.