NFL fans have been suspicious in recent seasons that officials favor quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs with their calls. Sunday’s 16-14 win over the Denver Broncos certainly added fuel to the fire.
The Chiefs benefited from several questionable calls against the Broncos in Week 10, including a safety Brandon Jones being penalized for illegal contact, which negated a Nik Bonitto sack on third down.
After Kansas City was gifted a first down, they went on to score a touchdown, so that penalty was arguably a four-point swing. Fans and pundits quickly lashed out against the call on Twitter/X.
Among those who objected to the call was the father of Denver cornerback Pat Surtain II — Patrick Surtain Sr. tweeted: “These refs…smh.”
These refs…smh
— PAT SURTAINl (@psurtain23) November 10, 2024
The elder Surtain played cornerback in the NFL from 1998-2008, spending his final four years in the NFL with the Chiefs. He obviously has more loyalty to his son than to his former team.
The Broncos had plenty of chances to win Sunday’s game, and they acknowledged that after the loss. Fans will cope with conspiracy theories, but Denver can’t blame the officials. The Broncos need to play better going forward, even if it feels like the officiating is one-sided.
