Kansas City and its star quarterback are one win away from a berth in Super Bowl LIX

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes speaks during a news conference following an NFL football AFC divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Kansas City

Photo: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Patrick Mahomes is batting down claims of preferential treatment as the Kansas City Chiefs move ever-closer to a Super Bowl berth.

With his team being one win away from the title game and after a 15-2 regular season, the quarterback said he is not surprised about how non-Chiefs fans have had a season-long beef with the refs.

“I‘ve kind of learned that no matter what happens during the game, that something’s going to come out about it if you win and you continue to win, so I don’t really pay attention to it,” Mahomes, 29, said on his weekly guest spot on local radio.

“I mean, obviously I’ve been on both sides of it as far as how I felt the calls were made, but at the end of the day, man, those guys are doing their best to make the best calls and keep it to where the players are making the plays in the game. And that’s what decides the outcome.”

He added, “And obviously there was a call here or there that people didn’t agree with, but at the same time, I think there was a lot of other plays that really decided the outcome of that football game.”

Patrick Mahomes kisses his wife Brittany Mahomes before a 2025 AFC divisional round game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

In Saturday’s 23-14 divisional win against the Houston Texans, Mahomes & Co. outlasted a resurgent effort by the C.J. Stroud-led team. Tight end Travis Kelce had seven receptions for 117 yards and one touchdown, which was enjoyed thoroughly by girlfriend Taylor Swift and special guest Caitlin Clark from their perch, as well as wife Brittany Mahomes, who continued the couple’s tradition of a pre-game kiss, despite having given birth to their third child six days earlier.

But Texans fans were aghast at two costly roughing-call penalties that significantly helped out the Chiefs’ — one of which even the signal-caller understands seemingly crossed the line.

“I would say that the only one I felt like I probably did too much was the one on the sideline where I didn’t get a flag and the ref saw it and didn’t throw a flag, and I understood it immediately, and know that I probably shouldn’t have done that,” Mahomes said. “But at the same time, the one that everybody’s talking about where I fell down, it’s like I was just trying to get out of the way of getting smoked by the defensive lineman running in. “So I’ll try to keep doing that and not take those hits because that’s the smart way to stay in the football game.“

The Chiefs play the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game on Sunday, Jan. 26.