One of the narratives coming into Super Bowl LIX was the perceived favoritism the Kansas City Chiefs get from the officials. That drum has beat so loud that it warranted a question to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during Super Bowl week and a statement from the NFL Referees Association, who called it "insulting and preposterous." Well, the early minutes of Super Bowl LIX aren't going to slow those conspiracy theories down.
On the opening possession of the game, the Philadelphia Eagles were faced with a fourth-and-2 situation at midfield. Instead of opting for the Tush Push, the Eagles had the offense in a shotgun formation where Jalen Hurts uncorked a 32-yard gain to A.J. Brown to pick up the first down.
However, the officials threw a questionable flag for offensive pass interference, nullifying the conversion.
A.J. Brown called for offensive pass interference to erase what would’ve been a massive fourth down conversion.
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) February 9, 2025
The refs already in the crosshairs of Eagles fans. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/WbiSLtnNSW
There was some hand fighting as Brown ran up the sideline, and the Eagles receiver did appear to hit Trent McDuffie's facemask, but one could make a strong case that nothing should've been called. That forced the Eagles to punt and give possession to Kansas City.
On the ensuing Philadelphia possession, McDuffie was flagged for unnecessary roughness on tight end Dallas Goedert, which was also questionable.
BAD CALL: #Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie was called for unnecessary roughness on this hit on #Eagles TE Dallas Goedert.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) February 10, 2025
😳
Kansas City defense was absolutely livid about this call from the refs…
MAKE-UP CALL? pic.twitter.com/e3Zro8WRIb
If these questionable calls persist throughout the game, the poor officiating narrative will be one of the major storylines coming out of the big game, which isn't what the NFL is hoping for.