Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is back under the spotlight after their Week 3 win, but for the wrong reasons. The Chiefs are no stranger to the referee controversies that seem to follow them every season, and one penalty call during the Dolphins game set the stage for the latest instance where the NFL is accused of giving the Chiefs preferential treatment.
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No surprises here; it’s the controversial roughing the passer penalty on Miami’s Chop Robinson, who took down Mahomes. Former Eagles icon and Super Bowl winner Seth Joyner, resharing a clip posted by former quarterback Chase Daniel, fired a shot at the NFL for its officiating.
“This is such a bag look for the @NFL & @NFLOfficiating This adds fuel to the conspiracy theories! SMDH,” Joyner wrote on X on October 2.
The Chiefs were at their own 5-yard line on a third-and-nine in the fourth quarter. Robinson then came charging at Patrick Mahomes, who went down on his back. The QB managed to get the ball out just in time, but the throw fell incomplete. The referee dropped a flag on the grounds of the hit being a “body weight. But Daniel pointed out something peculiar.
Daniel suggested that the referee planned to drop a flag before Mahomes even fell. He paused the film as he spoke, and the referee indeed has his hand near his pocket while Mahomes is not even halfway on his way down.
However, there is an important fact many miss in this video: Dolphins’ Zach Sieler was also flagged for defensive holding on the very same play. It could be that the referee saw Sieler first, and pulled the flag out as Mahomes was being tackled.
The Chiefs have long been accused of getting preferential treatment from NFL referees. During the 2024 postseason, Houston was served an unnecessary roughness penalty on a rushing play from Mahomes, who tried to dodge past two defenders by sliding down on the ground. Troy Aikman, who was calling the game for ESPN, said, “Oh, come on,” after hearing the penalty.
“We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game,” Houston’s Will Anderson Jr., who was also penalized for a play on Mahomes which many believe to be legal, said.
There was also the highly debated turnover on downs on the Bills, who the Chiefs faced in the AFC Championship.
But for what it’s worth, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell flat-out denied that the league is biased towards the Chiefs.
“A lot of those theories happen in social media and they have a new life … I understand it, I think it reflects a lot of the fans’ passion,” Goodell said in 2025. “I think it’s also a reminder of how important officiating is.
“That’s a ridiculous theory, for anyone who might take it seriously. But at the end of the day, it’s something we have to continue to work on: How do we make our officiating better at all times?”
Unfortunately, the Chiefs Week 1 game only fueled the rumors.
During the Denver Broncos game, tight end Travis Kelce committed a holding infraction against Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga during Mahomes’ first-quarter touchdown. But the move went unpenalized, even though Kelce himself later admitted on the New Heights podcast that the infraction could have earned him a flag.
Patrick Mahomes appreciated Robinson for the effort
Mahomes didn’t score on the drive, only setting it up for a Harrison Butker field goal. However, it proved to be the score that helped the Chiefs extend a narrow 4-point lead over the Dolphins. Even though the Chiefs walked off happy, the quarterback gave the Dolphins their due flowers for that play.
“No, he got me,” Mahomes said, per KMBC. “He got me for sure pretty good. But that’s part of playing football. They brought a good stunt with the D-line. I try to get the ball in my hands. When you throw the ball, you’re kind of exposed.
“He got me pretty solid. But I was able to bounce back up there, and we went out to finish that drive”
Robinson said he was “not too sure” why the flag was called, but he went on anyway, moving on to the next play. He talked about getting his hands out on the ground to reduce the impact of his weight, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen soon enough.
“Just put my hands out earlier, but it’s a football play. That’s what the refs called, so I had to move on from it,” Robinson said. “That’s what I could do better on that play, but that’s what they called, and that’s what it is.”
The Chiefs enter Week 4’s much-awaited matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. However, it will be under the lingering shadow of this hotly-debated penalty.