Chiefs’ DeAndre Hopkins Raises Question About Officials After Super Bowl Loss
DeAndre Hopkins referenced what he felt was a popular narrative after the Chiefs had their season stomped out in New Orleans.
The Kansas City wide receiver questioned the officiating after the Chiefs suffered a 40-22 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia scored the first 34 points in the one-sided blowout.
“I saw a lot of things in the media about the refs, but obviously, what y’all gonna say now about the refs and us?” Hopkins told reporters at Caesars Superdome, per FOX. “When there was a lot of touchy calls. Are y’all gonna report that? Are y’all gonna talk about the refs now?”
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That narrative was rooted in football fans and social media users believing the Chiefs benefited from controversial calls. The thought was the NFL wanted Kansas City to capture the league’s first-ever three-peat. While perception might have captured those on social media, it never felt like the argument held any merit.
Officiating played zero role in the outcome of Super Bowl LIX. It was a fortunate result given the amount of big games that featured one or two impactful calls in the biggest moments.
Philadelphia was called for eight penalties while Kansas City was whistled for seven.
In fact, one of the officiating decisions FOX broadcaster Tom Brady had the biggest issue with came on Philadelphia’s first offensive possession and benefited Kansas City. Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown was whistled for a questionable offensive pass interference penalty, which halted Philly’s possession.
Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, however, was called for a questionable unnecessary roughness penalty on Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert on the next possession. Philadelphia took a 7-0 lead three plays after that whistle on third-and-5.
Regardless, the Eagles were the best team on the field Sunday. And it wasn’t because of a helping hand from officials.
Hopkins caught two of the five balls thrown his way, including a costly second-half drop which further plagued Kansas City’s sluggish offense. He finished with 18 yards and one garbage-time touchdown.