In a high-stakes game with massive playoff implications, it wasn’t the players but the officials who seized the spotlight. It began a frustrating narrative for fans watching the Kansas City Chiefs when Houston was hit with two flags, both of which their sideline clearly didn’t love. And a former Steeler wasted no time calling out what he sees as a familiar pattern.

“I don’t know man. Always seemed crazy to me when I was playing Kansas City always got a flag in their favor at a crucial time,” former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko wrote on X. “Maybe I’m just crazy.”

The first eyebrow-raiser against the Houston Texans came on an offside call that stalled a fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak by C.J. Stroud. On replay, it didn’t look like anyone jumped early, though an arm may have drifted into the neutral zone. Still, the replay was enough to deem the call controversial.

Before that, replay assist stepped in on a short-yardage spot and overturned the ruling on the field, awarding a first down. The Chiefs challenged, and the review determined that replay assist had been wrong. It was an odd sequence, and Texans fans were already heated before the offside flag even flew.

But the opposite narrative also held true, when refs were seen flagging Chiefs on quite some controversial calls.

Cornerback Trent McDuffie was flagged for a suspect holding penalty against Nico Collins, whereas footage showed the latter shoving McDuffie before falling.

Then, in the second quarter, when Patrick Mahomes tried to sneak a pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster over the middle, safety Jalen Pitre swooped in. Videos showed the ball hitting the ground as the Texans’ player attempted to secure it. He was still awarded an interception.

Still, many fans insist the Chiefs benefit more than most. And tonight, no group believes that more fiercely than Houston’s fan base.

Texans fans echo Breiden Fehoko’s sentiment

The Texans opened the night looking sharp, but if this one slips away, those early calls are going to stick to the story. Houston fans didn’t wait long to unload their frustration on X, firing off reactions almost immediately after the flags started flying. The mood was unanimous.

“Literally nobody on the Texans moved before the ball snapped 🤣,” one fan wrote, questioning the offside call.

That penalty wiped out what could’ve been a touchdown drive and forced Houston to settle for three. In a tight game, that kind of swing sits heavy. And to a lot of Texans fans, it felt familiar. And another fan believes this has been a common occurrence for a while now.

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“Primetime chief games are always the same. The betting odds now factor it in,” he wrote.

Prime-time windows amplify everything. More eyes, more scrutiny, and more heat when a borderline call tips the field. And given how this season has gone across the league, it doesn’t take much to ignite the belief that officiating leans one way.

“Nah, we been watching this for years 😭,” one remarked.

It isn’t just noise, either. A UTEP study found that in playoff games, penalties against Chiefs opponents accounted for 2.36 more yards than average, and those flags were 23 percent more likely to result in Kansas City getting a first down. With that in the background, the frustration isn’t hard to understand.

“The Chiefs are never beating the allegations,” one fan said.

Those allegations have had legs for a long time. And judging from the reaction tonight, they aren’t slowing down anytime soon.