The Refs and this “rigged” league

[russ t. nail]

Came to talk about the clear hip drop tackle on Palmer that injured him and wasn’t mentioned or call. Easy to see on first watch. I generally attempt to support refs and their tough job. But it’s been really bad the last two games. 

[0017]

On the big run by BR to get the falcons down to the 8 Greg R was held right at the point of attack 

[Big Blitz]

Oliver Offside no replay 

[gobills404]

Elijah Moore clear catch called incomplete even after review and then Coleman gets interfered with right in front of the same ref that threw the phantom PI on white

[DJB]

So this one is a catch for Kelce but not for the Bills

 

 

 

[DrBob806]

JA with the gift INT. 

 

Maybe he had a parlay on 24-7 at half?

[Big Blitz]

Josh hit at the knees.  

[Big Blitz]

Hold on Codrington Punt return.  No replay. 

[Big Blitz]

Set the tone for the game.  I feel like a lot of mentally weak coaches let this get to the players - like here we go again.  

 

 

 

[The Frankish Reich]

3 hours ago, DJB said:

So this one is a catch for Kelce but not for the Bills

 

 

 

And I hear that sometimes Greg Maddux used to get that called third strike and a minor league call up didn’t. Shocking. 

[Búfalo Blanco]

Hell, the research is starting to prove it:

 

https://www.ktsm.com/local/el-paso-news/utep-study-shows-nfl-officiating-favors-kansas-city-chiefs/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNaskZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFoSUtYNVk3N3hLSEpjSlZWAR59avYt3S0NOS9SG4S7EVAgJTCZ9vqtjTJj2gl1Xb5My1Q319xJyR7fHuYnww_aem_EDeM-F79fz3T5Iy8uw6SCg

 

Research done by a team at UTEP presents evidence that the Chiefs have benefited from slanted officiating from 2015 to 2023, a time that coincided with their rise as one of the NFL’s most marketable franchises.

 

Published in the journal Financial Review, the study provides “one of the clearest empirical looks at how financial pressures can influence real-time rule enforcement,” the UTEP research team said.

 

“Our findings suggest that when the league’s financial health is at stake, rule enforcement may subtly shift to protect market appeal,” said Spencer Barnes Ph.D., assistant professor of finance in UTEP’s Woody L. Hunt College of Business and the lead author of the study. “The fact that postseason penalties consistently favored one franchise, while similar dynasties showed no such pattern, points to the powerful role of financial incentives in shaping supposedly neutral decisions.”

 

The study shows that during the playoffs, which the research team identified as the NFL’s most commercially valuable period, penalties against opposing defenses of the Chiefs’ offense were significantly more likely to result in first downs, cover more yardage and fall into subjective categories such as roughing the passer or pass interference.

[strive_for_five_guy]

5 hours ago, russ t. nail said:

Came to talk about the clear hip drop tackle on Palmer that injured him and wasn’t mentioned or call. Easy to see on first watch. I generally attempt to support refs and their tough job. But it’s been really bad the last two games. 

Here’s video:

 

For those that understand the rules better than I, curious if this qualifies as a hip drop tackle or not.  I have a feeling that it does, and this player will get fined this week, which doesn’t really do us any good though.

[Brand J]

11 hours ago, Búfalo Blanco said:

Hell, the research is starting to prove it:

 

https://www.ktsm.com/local/el-paso-news/utep-study-shows-nfl-officiating-favors-kansas-city-chiefs/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNaskZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFoSUtYNVk3N3hLSEpjSlZWAR59avYt3S0NOS9SG4S7EVAgJTCZ9vqtjTJj2gl1Xb5My1Q319xJyR7fHuYnww_aem_EDeM-F79fz3T5Iy8uw6SCg

 

Research done by a team at UTEP presents evidence that the Chiefs have benefited from slanted officiating from 2015 to 2023, a time that coincided with their rise as one of the NFL’s most marketable franchises.

 

Published in the journal Financial Review, the study provides “one of the clearest empirical looks at how financial pressures can influence real-time rule enforcement,” the UTEP research team said.

 

“Our findings suggest that when the league’s financial health is at stake, rule enforcement may subtly shift to protect market appeal,” said Spencer Barnes Ph.D., assistant professor of finance in UTEP’s Woody L. Hunt College of Business and the lead author of the study. “The fact that postseason penalties consistently favored one franchise, while similar dynasties showed no such pattern, points to the powerful role of financial incentives in shaping supposedly neutral decisions.”

 

The study shows that during the playoffs, which the research team identified as the NFL’s most commercially valuable period, penalties against opposing defenses of the Chiefs’ offense were significantly more likely to result in first downs, cover more yardage and fall into subjective categories such as roughing the passer or pass interference.

Sports Illustrated is running with a similar story too:

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/former-nfl-qb-defends-patrick-mahomes-chiefs-on-controversial-td-play-vs-jaguars

[CodeMonkey]

It's so sad these threads appear after every loss.  If the league is fixed as some seem to believe, why would you bother watching?

Edited 5 hours ago by CodeMonkey

[Goin Breakdown]

1 hour ago, CodeMonkey said:

It's so sad these threads appear after every loss.  If the league is fixed as some seem to believe, why would you bother watching?

I think there can be many answers to this question. 
1- it's still entertainment 

2- Hope

3- who wants to think that they've wasted all their fan life just to not see them win? An artificial win is still a win much like the WWE. 
4- sometime you believe something is happening and yet not want to believe it. 

[Orlando Buffalo]

2 hours ago, CodeMonkey said:

It's so sad these threads appear after every loss.  If the league is fixed as some seem to believe, why would you bother watching?

The officiating around the league is poor, the fact that you don't see that is on you. It certainly hurts the entertainment value when the officials are involving themselves where there is no need. Any game with 20+ calls is either poorly played or poorly officiated, either way it is not entertaining. 

[Bruffalo]

3 hours ago, CodeMonkey said:

It's so sad these threads appear after every loss.  If the league is fixed as some seem to believe, why would you bother watching?

Nothing has to be purposely rigged for the rules to be enforced unfairly or with bias.

 

The Bills opponents O-Lines have had a single holding call levied against them in 6 games,  do you think that's because they never held? I certainly don't.  

 

Intentionally or subconsciously on the part of the refs doesn't particularly matter. There has been a real, verifiable disparity in distribution of calls that goes beyond random chance. 

 

Now I'll say this again: The refs are not the only reason why the Bills have lost the last two games, far from it. They are a contributing factor though, and when it appears that those calls or lack thereof are biased or unfounded, it is extremely frustrating. 

16 hours ago, Big Blitz said:

Set the tone for the game.  I feel like a lot of mentally weak coaches let this get to the players - like here we go again.  

 

 

 

If he's Offside, it's by millimeters. 

What a trash call. 

Edited 2 hours ago by Bruffalo

[colin]

1 minute ago, Bruffalo said:

Nothing has to be purposely rigged for the rules to be enforced unfairly and with bias.

 

The Bills opponents O-Lines have had a single holding call levied against them in 6 games,  do you think that's because they never held? I certainly don't.  

 

Intentionally or subconsciously on the part of the refs doesn't particularly matter. There has been a real verifiable disparity in distribution of calls that goes beyond random chance. 

 

Now I'll say this again: The refs are not the only reason why the Bills have lost the last two games, far from it. They are a contributing factor though, and when it appears that those calls or lack thereof are biased or unfounded, it is extremely frustrating. 

 

the bills not forcing the issue is part of it too IMO.  this far off coverage makes it hard to ride and hide the holding out of the brake, the lack of crowded fronts make it hard to get mucky up front, atl was doing that and so was NE.  i remember when we played the delay rush spy game vs kc in the past two reg season wins over them.  our LB spy/late rusher would maul any wr in a shallow pattern, and i think it might have gotten called 1 out of 10 times.  if you press the issue you make it hard for the ref to call the penalty (the cb mugging coleman all day was let go because it was at least 5050 half the time).  if you play finesse ball, your physical play is more obvious and gets called more.

[CodeMonkey]

1 hour ago, Orlando Buffalo said:

The officiating around the league is poor, the fact that you don't see that is on you. It certainly hurts the entertainment value when the officials are involving themselves where there is no need. Any game with 20+ calls is either poorly played or poorly officiated, either way it is not entertaining. 

Poor is one thing,and a lot of that is on the NFL for making rules that are so hard to get right.

But the feeling here seems to be the refs and the league is biased against the Bills consistently, even when they win.

The fact that you don't recognize that is on you.

[Orlando Buffalo]

17 minutes ago, CodeMonkey said:

Poor is one thing,and a lot of that is on the NFL for making rules that are so hard to get right.

But the feeling here seems to be the refs and the league is biased against the Bills consistently, even when they win.

The fact that you don't recognize that is on you.

si agreed lms with them and so does UTEP.

https://www.si.com/nfl/bills/onsi/officials-have-given-bills-short-end-of-stick-in-critical-penalty-stat-5-weeks

 

https://www.utep.edu/newsfeed/2025/october/utep-study-reveals-how-financial-pressure-shapes-nfl-officiating.http

 

I am not going to back forth with you on a week where KC had 0 penalties. The league officiating is terrible and the NFL doesn't fix because people argue your point of view trying to sound intelligent