Chiefs star slams referees after 'conspiracy' claims dominated Super Bowl buildup

Kansas City wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins responded to theories astir the Chiefs getting aided by officials aft their Super Bowl nonaccomplishment to the Eagles connected Sunday.

In the leadup to the NFL play finale, the then-defending champions were linked to theories claiming they were getting aided by referees toward a three-peat.

The whispers stemmed from the Chiefs, arsenic they person passim the season, benefiting from arguable and adjacent calls until the playoffs.

After Sunday's, 22-40 nonaccomplishment to the Eagles successful New Orleans, Hopkins flipped the tube connected reporters, claiming questionable calls favored the Eagles' ascendant performance.

'You cognize I saw a batch of things successful the media astir the refs,' Hopkins said. 'What ya'll gonna accidental present astir the refs and america erstwhile determination was a batch of touchy calls?'

'Are ya'll gonna study that? Are ya'll gonna speech astir the refs now?'

Hopkins did not pinpoint the circumstantial plays, nor did helium look to beryllium connected the receiving extremity of those calls. However, determination was a brace of idiosyncratic fouls called against Kansas City that divided the fanbase.

The archetypal telephone happened connected Philadelphia's archetypal touchdown thrust midway done the archetypal period. On a third-and-5, Jalen Hurts targeted choky extremity Dallas Goedert, who collided with KC's Trent McDuffie successful the air.

While the interaction was thing much than a graze to Goedert's helmet, his caput snapped backmost and McDuffie was called for unnecessary roughness.

Another happened close earlier halftime erstwhile a idiosyncratic foul turned a would-be-third-and-26 into a archetypal down for Philadelphia. Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton made interaction with Saquon Barkley aft an incomplete pass.

The egregious interaction came arsenic Bolton's momentum drove him toward shoving Barkley to the turf.

That punishment Philadelphia astatine first-and-ten astatine their ain 44 with 2:25 near successful the half. However, they didn't person the punishment into a touchdown this time.

Instead, they punted 4 plays aboriginal with 1:56 remaining earlier halftime.

Nonetheless, Philadelphia unopen the Chiefs down completely, suffocating Patrick Mahomes and the discourtesy successful a antiaircraft masterpiece. The Eagles led the dance, 24-0, astatine halftime with Hurts uncovering much occurrence than his Chiefs counterpart close disconnected the gates.

While immoderate questioned the officiating, the Eagles near nary uncertainty and spoiled the Chiefs' effort astatine a historical feat.