'NFL Rigged' Is Trending After Chiefs Beat Bengals to Reach Super Bowl

Brian Jones

01/30/2023 03:10 pm EST

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game on Sunday night to reach the Super Bowl for the third time in four years. And as excited Chiefs fans are about the big win, the same can't be said for Bengals fans as well as most NFL fans since the phrase "NFL Rigged" began to trend on Twitter once the game was over.

Fans were upset with some of the calls and non-calls made by the officials. One play that stood out is the officials missing an illegal block during a Chiefs punt return during the final minute of the game which set up the game-winning field goal. And shortly after the punt return, Bengals defender Joseph Ossai was penalized for a late hit on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. There was also a play where the Chiefs got an extra down because the officials had to get the clock sorted out because it didn't stop during an incomplete pass. Many fans believe the NFL wanted the Chiefs in the Super Bowl to face the Philadelphia Eagles. Here's a look at the fans calling out the league for the blown calls.

Barstool Sports Explains

One person countered: "Last I checked, the Bengals were missing 3 starting offensive linemen including both tackles...might have had an impact on the game. The Bengals scored 20 points and Burrow threw 2 interceptions and people are saying it was the officials? Hilarious!"

5th Down

One Chiefs fan said: "I was there and as a Chiefs fan, we were even like WTF is going on – 3rd quarter seemed to have lasted an eternity. There were at least 3 calls in the 1st half this crew got wrong. In the 2nd half it seemed to have switched favor to the Chiefs. WEIRD Playoffs experience."

John Cena Explains

One person asked: "Did anyone else catch that the Eagles and Chiefs gave out Super Bowl tickets to fans before the game was even over? NFL Rigged?"

Going After the Ref

One NFL fan said: "The [NFL] needs to address [NFL Rigged]. "I'm not a CIN fan but that game was a disgrace. Tough to believe [State Farm] sponsorship or gambling did not have something to do with truly awful officiating."

Brotherly Love

One social media user wrote: "I was rooting for KC but this is the 2nd time KC got taken to the super bowl by the officiating. [Travis Kelce] really needs to shut up. He didn't win that game. Yesterday I learned [NFL Rigged] is not a conspiracy theory but reality. Bye NFL."

Missed Calls

One person argued: "How do you win on a flag? So disgraceful. You don't flag a 15 in that situation. You just don't. It's was reasonable contact."

Zac Taylor Speaks Out

And this fan said: "You think it's rigged now? Let me introduce you to the Brady/Belichek era of 2002 through 2018."

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