In their pursuit of being the first team ever to win three straight NFL Championships, the Kansas City Chiefs have played 11 playoff games since 2021.

In those 11 games, how many times have the Chiefs had more penalties than their opponents?

Zero.

In those 11 games, how many times have the Chiefs opponents had more penalties than the Chiefs?

Ten.

That’s correct, and I triple-checked because it was initially tough to believe when I first heard this stat.

10 games in which opponents had more penalties.

0 games in which the Chiefs had more penalties.

I was curious how the Chiefs fared in these metrics in the regular season.

If they are avoiding penalties and also drawing them on opponents because they are simply a sound, well coached team, we should see evidence of this in the regular season.

Out of 68 regular season games during this sample (since 2021):

  • 27 games the Chiefs had less penalty yardage (39.7%)
  • 38 games the Chiefs had more penalty yardage (55.9%)

And then in the playoffs (out of 11 games):

  • 10 games the Chiefs had less penalty yardage (90.9%)
  • 1 game the Chiefs had more penalty yardage (9.1%)

In the regular season:

  • 36 games the Chiefs had fewer penalties (52.9%)
  • 25 games the Chiefs had more penalties (36.8%(

And then in the playoffs:

  • 10 games the Chiefs had fewer penalties (90.9%)
  • 0 games the Chiefs had more penalties (0.0%)

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Chiefs Playoff Penalty Advantage By the Numbers

The Chiefs have gone 10-1 in those 11 playoff games with two Super Bowl wins and potentially a third on the way.

In total, the Chiefs have 36 penalties in those 11 games.

Their opponents have 66.

That’s 30 more penalties and nearly 225 more penalty yards against Chiefs opponents as compared to what they have been flagged for.

This graphic from ESPN displays the disparity:

ESPN Chiefs Penalty Graphic

Some of the largest, most significant penalties have gone in favor of the Chiefs.

Many of those are judgment calls rather than cut and dry delay of game, offsides, and so on.

Some of these include:

  • 3 total Defensive Pass Interference or Defensive Holding called on the Chiefs.
  • 11 total Defensive Pass Interference or Defensive Holding called on their opponents.
  • 1 total Roughing the Passer (15 yards) called on the Chiefs.
  • 7 total Roughing the Passer (15 yards) called on their opponents.
  • 1 total Unnecessary Roughness (15 yards) called on the Chiefs.
  • 4 total Unnecessary Roughness (15 yards) called on their opponents.
  • 0 total Unsportsmanlike (15 yards) called on the Chiefs.
  • 1 total Unsportsmanlike (15 yards) called on their opponents.

Looking at EPA, the Chiefs have 18.84 Expected Points Added as a result of penalties in those 11 games.

8 of those 11 games were decided by 1 score or less.

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Explaining Chiefs Playoff Penalty Advantage

While this may look suspicious, several valid explanations explain the delta.

First, it is a tiny sample of games.

Second, the Chiefs have played in more playoff games than their opponents and are thus more accustomed to the stage.

They may not get the nerves that would potentially cause them to be out of place and commit penalties that other, less experienced teams might commit.

Third, they are well coached on both sides of the ball, and well coached teams tend to commit fewer penalties.

But for many who have watched the Chiefs in the playoffs and feel like they are getting more favorable calls, I will submit a similar analysis to ESPN’s graphic above for every single playoff team during the same four-year time period.

Click to enlarge the table

Playoff Penalty Analysis

One thing immediately stands out: There are many teams with good coaches and plenty of playoff experience, and none of them come close to the number of games where penalties or penalty yardage went in their favor.

Look at all the teams with at least 5 playoff games during this span and the net games where penalty yardage was in their favor:

  • Chiefs: 10-1 in their favor, net +9
  • Ravens: 3-2 in their favor, net +1
  • Rams: 4-3 in their favor, net +1
  • Eagles: 3-4 against them, net -1
  • 49ers: 4-5 against them, net -1
  • Bills: 3-5 against them, net -2
  • Bucs: 2-4 against them, net -2
  • Bengals: 1-6 against them, net -5

Many of those teams have good coaching and experience, yet penalties have been relatively neutral for their games in all cases (+2 games to -2 games) save for -5(!) for the Bengals.

Click to enlarge the table

Playoff Penalty Analysis

Meanwhile, the Chiefs are 10-1 for a +9 net in number of games with penalty yardage in their favor.

And they are +10 in the number of games with penalties in their favor.

This dive into penalty data comes on the heels of a game that saw national outrage over referees calling multiple 15-yard penalties for roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness against the Texans.

These penalties drew the ire of Troy Aikman, Joe Buck, and the broadcast referee analyst in real time as well as from the majority of fans on social media.

In total, the Texans were penalized 8 times for 82 yards (Chiefs 4 times for 29 yards).

Regardless of why this penalty discrepency exists, the referees will be under the spotlight as the Chiefs host the Bills in the AFC Championship Game.

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