Patrick Mahomes (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Football fans are already calling the Kansas City Chiefs-Los Angeles Week 4 contest “fixed” after new details emerged on the NFL refs assigned to the game.
Veteran NFL official Shawn Smith and his crew have been assigned the Chiefs-Chargers showdown at SoFi Stadium this Sunday. And for those who think the NFL refs play a helping hand in the Chiefs’ success, you might want to look away.
As noted by the ML Football X/Twitter account, the road team won the vast majority of games officiated by Smith and his crew last season. Per Pro Football Reference, the home team only won 17.65 percent of games officiated by Smith last season.
For comparison’s sake, the 2023 home team winning percentage was 56.14:
BREAKING: The #Chargers may have already lost the #Chiefs
Shawn Smith is officiating, his crew’s home teams won just 17.65% of games, well below the 56.4% league average, via @DJakaDT
He also leads refs’ road wins since 2018
(Questionable refereeing, sponsored by @LASIKdotcom) pic.twitter.com/LX6dgU7rmG
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 27, 2024
And so, fans are convinced that the NFL refs have already “fixed” Sunday’s game in favor of Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Well the chiefs pay them anyways
— Barkley Super Bowl LIX MVP (0-0) (@BarkleysBurner_) September 27, 2024
Welp gg
— RunItBackHerbo (@RunItBackHerbo) September 27, 2024
— Vick3 (@ImYourHostVick3) September 27, 2024
— 💀🗡🛡🗡💀 (@mercerart) September 27, 2024
Better luck next time
— jamshed (@alamjamshed05) September 27, 2024
Doing literally everything in their power to help KC. Not even hiding it either.
— Shane Falco (@C4_A_1) September 27, 2024
Hahaha…only when you thought they had done everything possible. Thanks @NFL
— ⚡️Sky Lion⚡️ (@zed350) September 27, 2024
It’s worth noting that Smith was the official for the Chiefs-Baltimore Ravens AFC Championship Game last year. But the Chiefs have lost their last two regular-season games with Smith as the official — vs. the Philadelphia Eagles last year and at the Indianapolis Colts in 2022.
So hold your horses on the early talk that the NFL refs have already rigged the game for Mahomes and the Chiefs. For all the doubters know, Smith and his crew will put on a strong officiating performance at SoFi Stadium.
Not The First Time NFL Fans Believed A Game Was Rigged For The Chiefs This Season
Unfortunately, there has been no shortage of questionable officiating calls and controversies during the young 2024 NFL season.
The Chiefs were the beneficiary of a questionable pass interference call against Daijahn Anthony of the Cincinnati Bengals that led to Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal in Week 2. Then a week later, Bryan Cook of the Chiefs got away with blatant pass interference on Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts in the end zone, taking away what should have been a first-and-goal situation late in the fourth quarter.
