The Philadelphia Eagles took home the Lombardi Trophy after a blowout win against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Feb. 9. Not many fans were thrilled about this Super Bowl matchup—a survey by Betonline ranked the teams among the three most hated in the league.
As someone who grew up as a lifelong football fan and a New England Patriots supporter, there are only a few teams I hate more than the Eagles and Chiefs. However, never once have I thought to myself that the NFL was rigging the games and following a script—the theory that the NFL is fixing games on purpose.
A week before the Super Bowl, a middle school teacher with the username “Coach Kirk” posted a TikTok video explaining why he believes the NFL is rigged in favor of the Chiefs, a wildly ridiculous assertion. At first, I assumed that most people in the comment section would agree with me. However, most commenters agreed with him.
“Part of my job is to observe and make observations,” Kirk says in the video to start off his argument. He also goes on to say he doesn’t watch the NFL, and that he only watches during the championship games. How can you call the NFL rigged if you don’t even watch it?
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve been frustrated with bad calls; I’ve played and watched sports since I was seven. However, at the end of the day, referees are also human. They make mistakes. Not every call is going to be perfect, and under the NFL’s current rules, not all plays can be reviewed. Bad calls are bound to happen and they aren’t necessarily indicative of any game rigging.
Kirk also said the NFL is struggling with ratings, however, the NFL has dominated TV ratings for years, and 2024 was no different. With games now available on streaming platforms such as Netflix and Paramount, the league’s network is only growing, and a poll found that the NFL had 72 of the top 100 most-watched broadcasts in 2024. This year, the Super Bowl was a major success, drawing 127.7 million viewers. If that’s “struggling”, then I’m confused about how many viewers each game is supposed to get. It’s baffling that a teacher couldn’t take two minutes to look this up before spreading misinformation to an audience.
Kansas City finished the season 15-2 (not including playoffs) and set an NFL record with 17 straight one-score wins. Did they play perfectly in all those games? No. But well-coached teams find ways to win, even when they’re not at their best.
Andy Reid is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. His 273-146 record speaks for itself. Early in his career, people doubted him— especially when his teams kept falling short in the playoffs. But he kept adapting and now he’s built a dynasty.
This kind of nonsense isn’t new, either. Growing up as a Patriots fan, I dealt with people claiming that the refs were rigging for the Patriots, especially after Deflategate came out. While people can look at stuff like the “Tuck Rule“, which was a controversial rule by the NFL, the refs were simply following the rulebook, not rigging the game. The Patriots won those Super Bowls because they were well-coached and knew how to handle big moments.
The Patriots didn’t need a script— they just knew how to win. The same applies to the Chiefs and Eagles today— it is just that great teams, great coaching, and strong execution lead to championships. The Chiefs and Eagles worked hard and signed the right players.
Seeing the same teams win over and over again can be frustrating, I understand that. I do wish someone was able to stop the Eagles and the Chiefs this season, but I’m not going to get online and claim that it’s rigged, because that takes the enjoyment out of the game and being a fan. Maybe other teams can step up next season, and we can see a new team make the Super Bowl.
