The longer the Kansas City Chiefs lasted in the NFL playoffs, the more you just knew cries of some sort of Taylor Swift conspiracy were going to grow. She’s been pelted with unfair blame for things completely out of her control from the moment she first attended a Chiefs game. It seems that’s going to continue to the very end of KC’s season.
This time, though, the NFL gave fans some real ammunition to work with ahead of the AFC championship game between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, because the referee assignment for the game heavily favors the visiting Chiefs.
On Monday, the NFL announced Shawn Smith as the AFC championship game ref, and it didn’t take fans long to uncover the precipitous drop in home team win percentage in Smith’s games. According to Sharp Football Analysis, home teams have won 55.4 percent of games over the last three seasons, but that number drops to 40.8 percent in Smith’s games — the lowest win rate for any NFL referee.
Here are the @NFL Championship Weekend referee assignments. #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Ooy6FQJawV
— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) January 22, 2024
Even accounting for the point spread, which levels the playing field for uneven teams, home teams go from covering 49.4 percent of games over the last three seasons to 40.8 percent of games under Smith. These massive differences have fans thinking the NFL purposefully assigned Smith to get Swift to the Super Bowl.
I must have forgotten how bad the NFL needed the ratings.
Shawn Smith has penalized the HOME team 700+ more yards than the AWAY team this season.
He’s officiating Ravens vs. Chiefs at M&T Bank Stadium.
I have suspicions that Roger Goodell wants Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl… pic.com/TPAGzlhBvh
— Kyle (@ImKyleMangum) January 24, 2024
The NFL is THIRSTY for a Taylor Swift Super Bowl.
The assigned referee for the #Chiefs–#Ravens game is Shawn Smith.
Home teams under Shawn Smith have won 40% of their games in the last 3 years.
Home teams under every other ref crew have won 55.4% in the same span. #KCvsBAL pic.com/cVNYkZG8cc
— Mike McDaniel (@MikMcDaniel) January 23, 2024
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