Kansas City Chiefs

Stephen A. Smith Brings Taylor Swift Into Chiefs-Texans Controversy

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There were a number of controversial moments during the Kansas City Chiefs’ 23-14 win over the Houston Texans on Saturday.
Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes was involved in at least two polarizing calls during the game, with the reigning Super Bowl MVP taking contact from the Texans defense that the referees would deem excessive. Houston was called for a penalty on Mahomes once in each half as Kansas City capitalized on both occasions to extend their drive and ultimately get a score.
Late in the third quarter, the Texans were slapped with a 15-yard penalty after a supposed hit on Mahomes.

NFL fans weren’t too happy with how calls supposedly went in the Chiefs’ favor yet again. This only further fueled the narrative that referees have allegedly shown a certain bias toward Mahomes and the two-time defending champions Chiefs during games.
ESPN sportscaster Stephen A. Smith shared his two cents worth on the controversy during Monday’s episode of “First Take.” The outspoken analyst decided to drag multi-Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Taylor Swift, the boyfriend of Kansas City star Travis Kelce, into the mix.
“Here’s where the controversy comes in and it’s uncomfortable but we’ll say it because it’s ‘First Take,'” Smith said, via brobible. “We’ll bring up the fact that Patrick Mahomes has box office appeal. We’ll bring up the fact that Taylor Swift being a Chiefs fan doesn’t hurt. That doesn’t mean the officials go out there and intentionally do this stuff, but it ain’t like the audience doesn’t have a reason to say, ‘What the hell is going on here?'”
While Smith did not directly implicate Swift in this controversial narrative, he did imply that the “Fortnight” singer’s immense popularity may have a certain impact on all this.
Stephen A. Smith. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Whatever the case might be, Saturday’s victory now has the Chiefs heading to the AFC Championship Game, where they will host the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.
Swift was in attendance in their game against the Texans, and this will likely be the case again when Josh Allen and Co. come to town for the AFC title.

NFL Announces Officials for Chiefs-Bills AFC Championship

On Monday, just one day after the AFC Championship Game was set, the NFL announced the referee assignments for the Chiefs vs. Bills. Clete Blakeman is set to call the big game.

After starting his officiating career in the Big 12, Blakeman made the switch to the NFL in 2008 and has called at least 12 games every season. The last playoff game Blakeman officiated was last season’s NFC championship between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers.
Since becoming the starter for Kansas City in 2018, Mahomes has posted a 5-6 record in games called by Blakeman. The most recent Chiefs game Blakeman has called was a 20-14 Christmas Day loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023. In that game, Kansas City had five penalties called on it for 44 yards.
Allen, on the other hand, has secured a 6-2 record in games with Blakeman as the official. The most recent came in Week 17 against the New York Jets when Buffalo won 40-14. The Bills were penalized seven times for 60 yards, while the Jets had 16 penalties for 120 yards.
Mahomes and the Chiefs will take on Allen and the Bills on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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