Pat McAfee leads furious reaction to controversial Chiefs penalty call early in Super Bowl 2025 against Eagles

We're conscionable six plays into Super Bowl LIX and already the Kansas City Chiefs 'colluding with referees' allegations are successful afloat effect.

The Philadelphia Eagles got the shot first, but were faced with a 4th and 2 from the 50 gait line.

Rather than effort to conscionable summation the 2 yards, Eagles backmost Jalen Hurts decided to aerial retired a agelong walk for receiver AJ Brown - who caught it successful stride past stepped retired of bounds.

However, referees threw a emblem and decided to telephone violative walk interference connected Brown for his interaction with defender Trent McDuffie.

On replay, it appeared that Brown concisely made interaction with McDuffie's facemask and the cornerback stumbled arsenic a result.

But the interaction was not a shove - nor was it an intentional grabbing of the disguise - starring galore to edifice to the aforesaid communicative that has been dogging the Chiefs each play long: that the referees are conspiring to rig the games successful their favor.

Within seconds of the flag, societal media was flooded with takes from aggravated fans and erstwhile players alike. 

'Can’t telephone that successful the Super Bowl… connected a 4th down YIKES,' wrote Pat McAfee.

'Horses**t call. Don’t commencement the SUPER BOWL disconnected similar this. SMFH Refs with the BS early,' wrote erstwhile NFL cornerback Darius Butler.

Former NFL backmost Robert Griffin III said, 'GOTTA LET THEM PLAY ON THAT ONE!!! That’s not violative walk interference!' 

'The archetypal punishment of the game… And it’s conscionable an atrocious call. C’mon,' wrote ESPN NFL Draft expert Field Yates. 

CBS Sports' Adam Schein said, 'I mean you gotta beryllium freakin kidding me. Garbage call.'

'How’s that OPI?? Lmao bye #SuperBowlLIX,' wrote NFL expert Kerrie Jacobs-Bryant.

The Ringer's Anthony Dabbundo said, 'Cannot hold to perceive [Fox Sports' referee analyst] Mike Pereira effort to support that OPI call.'

'ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! lol Even erstwhile Mahomes isn't connected the tract ...,' said 1 viewer. 

'It's starting aboriginal [laughing emojis],' wrote Collin Gillespie, a erstwhile assemblage hoops prima who played astatine Villanova University extracurricular Philadelphia.

'You cannot beryllium superior with that telephone to commencement the game,' wrote different fan. 

One instrumentality posted a photoshopped representation of a referee - but his achromatic stripes had changed to reddish and helium had a Chiefs logo connected his shirt. Another posted an representation of a ref with the caption, 'Pass interference connected the offense, spell Chiefs.'

The Eagles were forced to punt aft the punishment and gave the shot backmost to Kansas City. 

However, the Chiefs weren't capable to bash thing connected their archetypal drive. Philadelphia past scored connected their 2nd thrust to instrumentality a 7-0 lead. 

Later successful the game, the referees made different questionable telephone erstwhile the snapper connected an Eagles tract extremity effort shifted his weight. Philadelphia past converted the tract goal.