The rise of the Kansas City Chiefs since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback has made the hatred of 31 other teams move on from the Patriots to the AFC West, even more so since they're on their way to potentially winning a third Super Bowl in a row.
The loathing from NFL fans toward New England is well documented and held steady for nearly two decades, making most wish for their demise and praise their fall from grace since Tom Brady departed the team in 2020. Now, it's all about watching the Chiefs dominate in their absence, which has surprisingly shifted many fans' mindsets about just how bad the Patriots were (or weren't) during their reign over the league.
The Chiefs have been considered the NFL darlings for a handful of years, with the narrative that Roger Goodell favors the new face of the league far more than anyone ever believed he felt toward the Patriots.
That has become an increasingly discussed topic this year, as the Chiefs continue to barely win games and be the beneficiary of some really questionable calls by officials, which was seen plenty during their divisional matchup with the Texans on Saturday.
Read More: 5 of the biggest what-ifs for the Patriots during the Bill Belichick era
NFL fans made their feelings well-known on social media about the officials favoring the Chiefs
When you're a team at the top, you're bound to get a lot of reactions, some of which are overly dramatic, as it comes with the territory. The Patriots became all too familiar with that during their run of dominance and now it's the Chiefs turn.
But the reactions are not always over the top or wrong. In fact, they often go beyond just responses from the opposing fans who are upset that their team is losing. That's how it was for many non-Chiefs fans on Saturday, who witnessed just how bad the officiating was and likely determined the outcome of the game.
It even got some of them to admit the Patriots dynasty might not have been that bad.
This Chiefs team is more insufferable than the Patriots ever were.
— Cincy Therapy (@CincyTherapy) January 18, 2025
It got to the point that some even began to admit that the Patriots didn't do anything more than skirt the line of what was legal vs. what wasn't, but the Chiefs get away with anything and everything, as witnessed by some of the most egregious calls made against the Texans.
The Patriots tried to find cracks in the rules
— Cole Adams (@coleadamss) January 18, 2025
The Chiefs have the rules in their favor
More interestingly, the frustration about just how bad the officiating was went beyond non-Chiefs fans and extended to some in the media, with commentators Troy Aikman and Joe Buck leading the way in real time.
NFL analyst and former player Mark Schlereth commented on the situation and expressed his opinion of the game's officiating.
They watched the refs give all the calls to Kansas City just like the rest of America. https://t.co/MlDgkMEBxi
— Mark Schlereth (@markschlereth) January 19, 2025
Even NFL draft analyst and expert Daniel Jeremiah commented as another terrible call was made against the Texans, giving the Chiefs another 15-yard penalty in their favor.
Awful https://t.co/Rv6L2q4cMD
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) January 18, 2025
It was a refreshing day for Patriots fans, who long defended that the NFL did not, in fact, favor their team and more so worked against them, despite opposing fans' differing recollections of the dynasty years. While they certainly benefitted from some calls during their most winning years, as do most teams at the top, it was never so blatantly apparent that the officials were working in their favor the way it has been for the Chiefs in recent years.
This makes it enjoyable to be a Patriots fan and watch from the outside looking in as the rest of the league's fans realize just how good they might have had it when the Patriots were on top.