Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce received an $11,255 fine for taunting during the team's AFC Championship victory against the Buffalo Bills. The incident occurred after a Patrick Mahomes touchdown run late in the second quarter, where Kelce aggressively nodded his head and directed words towards Bills safeties Damar Hamlin and Cole Bishop. Despite the presence of multiple referees, no unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called on the field.
However, Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips was penalized for unnecessary roughness after headbutting Kelce in response to the taunt. Phillips also received a fine of $6,722. The Chiefs ultimately won the game 32-29, amidst fan outcry over several calls perceived to favor Kansas City.
One controversial call involved a fourth-down play where Bills quarterback Josh Allen was deemed short of the first down, a decision disputed by CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore. Another contentious moment saw Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy's catch upheld despite video replay suggesting the ball touched the ground.
These officiating decisions follow similar scrutiny from the Chiefs' divisional round win against the Houston Texans, where two roughing the passer calls against the Texans for hits on Mahomes drew criticism. One penalty, on Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., occurred after Mahomes had thrown an incomplete pass. The second penalty was called during a Mahomes scramble, prompting criticism from ESPN broadcaster Troy Aikman.
Mahomes addressed questions about potential preferential treatment from referees, stating that officials do their best to call the game fairly. Kelce declined to comment on the officiating controversy during an episode of the "New Heights" podcast with his brother Jason Kelce.
