Former NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino says referees aren't favoring Kansas City Chiefs

Former NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino doesn’t believe the Kansas City Chiefs receive favorable treatment from referees, he told TMZ Sports this week.

Blandino, now a rules analyst for FOX Sports, said there’s “too much” discussion about officiating and how much Kansas City benefits from it.

“People are talking about officiating a little too much. … It’s always going to be a part of the conversation,” Blandino said, via FOX News. “Do teams get breaks at times? They do. And not every call is right. And sometimes that happens. I think it evens out over time. Me watching it, I don’t see these games and say the Chiefs are getting all these calls. These are close, close plays, and they happened to go in the Chiefs’ favor on Sunday.”

The subject of officiating and how much the Chiefs’ success is tied to favorable calls has long been a topic of discussion during their recent dominance. But the Chiefs don’t care — they’re a well-oiled machine at this point led by two of the best coaches around in Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo. And make no mistake about it, Kansas City is a well-coached bunch.

But there are several examples of questionable calls where the Chiefs benefitted, including in this past Sunday’s AFC Championship Game victory over the Buffalo Bills. With the Bills up 22-21, quarterback Josh Allen tried to convert a fourth down play, but was ruled short. And after review, he was still ruled short. However, some believed he got enough for a first down, including the broadcast team on CBS Sports.

In the ensuing moments, the Chiefs promptly marched down the field. A Patrick Mahomes rushing touchdown gave them the lead at 29-22. While the Bills battled back and tied the game 29-29 after giving up a score, they eventually fell. Many believe the fourth down stop was the turning point of the contest.

Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill fires back at ‘ref talk’ following Super Bowl berth

Kansas City is now just one win over the Philadelphia Eagles away from an unprecedented three-peat. But before the Chiefs have their date with destiny, linebacker Drue Tranquill delivered a special message to any and detractors who believe the team receives special treatment from referees.

“Kick rocks,” Tranquill tweeted after the Chiefs’ 32-29 win.

While Blandino understands the outrage from fans outside the state of Missouri, he again is against the idea there’s a grand conspiracy to favor the Chiefs.

“I get it. I’m a fan first,” Blandino said. “I grew up in New York as a Knicks fan watching Michael Jordan crush my dreams and saying, ‘The league wants Michael Jordan in the championships.’ Ultimately, when you’re a part of the NFL and you realize, for it to really be a conspiracy, do you know the amount of people that would have to be involved? 

“Someone somewhere would slip up, and it would get out. If there was a room in the NFL office where they were writing the script, they never invited me, and I was the head of officiating. I feel like I’d be a pretty important contributor to that. I get it. People are passionate. I just think, sometimes, officials make mistakes. … Sometimes, when you have a team that has been this successful, I think it’s par for the course.”