Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce appeared to benefit from favorable officiating during Sunday night’s AFC Championship victory over the Buffalo Bills, as officials seemed to overlook what looked like a clear taunting penalty on Kelce.
In the late second quarter, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes scrambled out of the pocket and rushed toward the end zone, scoring a touchdown with his legs.
As Mahomes crossed the goal line, Bills safety Damar Hamlin delivered a hit, sending Mahomes to the ground.
This prompted a reaction from Kelce.
Bills called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Kelce was talking in Hamlin's face. Phillips came over and hit Kelce in the helmet and got flagged pic.twitter.com/DjjlFZ94V0
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) January 27, 2025
The moment Mahomes hit the ground, Kelce ran up to Hamlin, got in his face, and shook his head while saying something to the Bills defender.
While it’s not clear exactly what Kelce said to Hamlin, according to the NFL’s rulebook, this incident should have resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Kelce.
The league prohibits “abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures to opponents” as well as “baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams.” Kelce sprinting up and getting in Hamlin’s face after a Chiefs touchdown and a legal hit was clearly taunting and warranted a penalty.
However, the referees decided not to throw a flag, seemingly giving Kelce preferential treatment.
“Travis Kelce has a special ability in the NFL where he is the only person who is allowed to taunt their opponent and not get a flag called!” one fan commented in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“One of these days dude is going to laid out on the field,” one person wrote on X.
“They don’t want to lose that Swifty crowd…,” someone else added.
He’s dating Taylor Swift and plays with Patrick Mahomes. He could probably hit another player’s leg with a crowbar and not get penalized,” another person added.
“They don’t want to upset the Swifties, who they need to expand the fan base,” someone else said.
“The league wants Taylor Shift since she brings in fans and money that usually don’t watch. It’s all about the money and extra ratings,” another person added.
“It’s because he’s on the Chiefs. If it was any other team, it would have been a flag,” someone else said.
While Kelce avoided any repercussions for his actions, Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips was flagged for stepping in and head-butting Kelce in an effort to break up the altercation with Hamlin.
As for the game itself, the Chiefs defeated the Bills, securing their third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl.
