Due to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce's relationship with Taylor Swift and all of the publicity surrounding inside and outside of the league, many fans from opposing fan bases have convinced themselves that the defending Super Bowl champions and the referees are in cahoots. Week 5's matchup on the road against the Minnesota Vikings certainly didn't help extinguish any of those flames.
As pointed out by Dov Kleiman, the NFL's Instagram bio read Chiefs are 2-0 as Swifties" back on October 2.
Now the official NFL Instagram account says: "Chiefs are 2-0 as Swifties",
This is just 12 hours after many fans believe the Chiefs received phantom call help by the Refs against the #Jets on SNF.
No matter how you slice it, it's a bad look.
Might as well just bet KC winning? https://t.co/s1kaDNTq0R pic.twitter.com/hDUfDE04kw
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 2, 2023
Then again, the Vikings and Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was called for pass interference. He was confused by the call and took his helmet off to converse with the referees.
Pass interference? pic.twitter.com/Nyz0IjuPf4
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 8, 2023
Again, as Kleiman points out, Sneed wasn't penalized for this and was simply told to put his helmet back on.
This video is ridiculous - #Chiefs CB CB L'Jarius Sneed actually took his helmet off on the field and was told by the Refs to "Put the helmet on" instead of getting penalized.
What other team benefits this much by the refs?pic.twitter.com/2C4hKkVGUG
(? @defiisthelife) https://t.co/m0yETvXEew
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 9, 2023
To make matters worse, the flag was ultimately pulled back, and Sneed wasn't penalized for pass interference or taking his helmet off.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell had thoughts on it, too.
"When the flag came out in the first place, I was not surprised in that moment that it was called a flag," O'Connell said. "I'm trying to figure out where and when that veered the other way."
On the CBS broadcast, rules analyst Gene Steratore said it was likely overturned because they deemed the ball uncatchable in the first place.
Regarding the helmet coming off, though, those referencing that non-call have a point.
The official NFL rulebook states, "removal of his helmet by a player in the field of play or the end zone during a celebration or demonstration, or a confrontation with a game official or any other player."
The Chiefs went on to win 27-20. The Vikings had a chance to tie it up with the game's final drive but managed just 33 yards on seven plays. The game ended with a sack of Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.
We'll see what happens in Week 6 as the Chiefs take the Denver Broncos home on Thursday Night Football.
