Flags, Calls, and Taylor Swift: Is the NFL Rigging the Playoffs for the Chiefs?
Conspiracy theories abound as teams get set to meet to decide the Super Bowl LIX matchup.

Conspiracy theories are flying ahead of Championship Sunday, when the remaining NFC and AFC teams decide their representatives in Super Bowl LIX, being played at New Orleans.
The Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) host the Washington Commanders (12-5) in the NFC title game, while the Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) entertain the Buffalo Bills (13-4) in the AFC Championship. The Chiefs hope to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowl titles — and some believe NFL game officials are helping them with a slew of favorable calls.
The Houston Texans, beaten 23-14 by the Chiefs last week, were penalized twice for questionable late hits on quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Both penalties helped the Chiefs on scoring drives. Then there’s a conspiracy theory surrounding pop star Taylor Swift: The NFL is said to desire to keep the Chiefs in the playoffs to attract fans interested in Ms. Swift and her romance with a Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce.
Mr. Mahomes takes issue with the notion the referees are favoring the Chiefs. “At the end of the day, the referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and as proper as they possibly can,” he told reporters at Kansas City. “And all you can do is go out there and play the game that you love as hard as you can and live with the results.”
As for the NFL wanting the Chiefs to win because of Ms. Swift’s relationship with Mr. Kelce, that is even more of a reach. Yet the presence of the pop star at Chiefs games isn’t something the league is going to ignore. That was evident in the number of times cameras focused on Ms. Swift sitting next to a star of the WNBA, Caitlin Clark, during last Sunday’s Chiefs Divisional Playoff game against the Texans.
Their connection began in September 2023 after Ms. Swift started dating Mr. Kelce. A devoted life-long Chiefs fan, Ms. Clark posted on X, “Taylor Swift welcome to the good side,” and included the hashtag “Chiefs Kingdom.”
The two reportedly met in January 2024 when Ms. Clark attended two of Ms. Swift’s Eras Tour concerts at Lucas Oil Stadium at Indianapolis. Last November Ms. Swift invited Ms. Clark to attend a Chiefs game with her. Ms. Clark accepted the invitation to attend last Saturday’s game after appearing on the “New Heights” podcast hosted by Mr. Kelce and his brother Jason.
“I’m a Midwest kid,” Ms. Clark said on the podcast earlier this month. “My dad was a big Chiefs fan growing up. People think I’m a bandwagon Chiefs fan. I’m like, ‘No, I was there before Patrick and Travis.’ We were ride or die.”
It’s uncertain whether Ms. Clark will be at Sunday’s game at Kansas City, but the Bills will be there to upset the Chiefs three-peat plans. The AFC Championship showdown seemed inevitable all season. It will be the ninth meeting between Mr. Mahomes and the Bills quarterback, Josh Allen. They are 4-4 against each other, including a 30-21 Buffalo win in Week 11 of this season. The Chiefs defeated the Bills last year, 27-24, in the divisional round.
“Obviously, Patrick is one of the greatest to ever play the game,” Mr. Allen said. “They’re one of the greatest teams to ever be assembled. They’re going for a three-peat and that’s what everybody in this league wants, the sustained success that they’ve had. That’s what we’re aiming to be.”
Mr. Allen, who is a finalist for the league MVP award, passed for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns while rushing for 531 yards and 12 scores as the Bills won their fifth straight AFC East title. Mr. Mahomes passed for 3,928 yards and 26 touchdowns this season and is trying to join Tom Brady and John Elway as the only quarterbacks to reach the Super Bowl five times. He’ll need a big game from Mr. Kelce, who delivered in the divisional round by catching seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown against the Texans.
“This is what he lives for, is playing in these moments, having the chance to make big-time plays,” Mr. Mahomes said of Mr. Kelce. “He goes out there and does that and it seems like he does it in every single playoff game.”
The Commanders are the surprise team among the NFL’s final four. Behind Dan Quinn in his first year as Washington’s head coach and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders upset the Detroit Lions, 45-31, to advance to the NFC Championship game for the first time in 33 years — when they last won the Super Bowl. An easy Rookie of the Year choice, Mr. Daniels passed for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns during the regular season before orchestrating postseason road wins over the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Lions.
The Eagles will counter with quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley, who added to a spectacular regular season where he rushed for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns with 324 rushing yards and two touchdowns in playoff wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers.
Mr. Barkley ran for 296 yards and 4 TDs in the two games against the division-rival Commanders this year. The Eagles won the first meeting, 26-18, in November, but lost 36-33 at Washington in December.
“It’s win and move on,” Mr. Barkley said at Philadelphia. “That’s the only thing that’s important. Numbers don’t matter. The only thing that matters is winning.”