Watch: Pat McAfee Addresses Online Chatter That the NFL Is “Rigged”

On the Monday edition of his podcast, Pat McAfee discussed the backlash against NFL officiating following the weekend’s AFC Championship game.

The former Indianapolis Colts punter pointed to the audience’s outrage over penalties that turned the tide of the game in favor of Kansas City. Coach Andy Reid And the Chiefs defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. They will now face Super Bowl LVII in Philadelphia. However, their win was not without its confusion.

Joe Burrow and company seemed to be robbed of any chance of victory in particular by key plays, penalties, and the fourth quarter. Conveniently, the three-point win also helped Kansas City cover the point spread (which hovered around 2 points prior to game time), so that only added fuel to the fans’ fire.

Pat McAfee, one of today’s most outspoken and popular sports commentators, has been around for a while

He was, therefore, more than happy to comment on the online speculation. His show. He stated that much of the chatter was due to the fact that large audiences were present, ready and willing to whistle about inconsistent officiating.

“I don’t know what the ratings are going to be, I assume that it’s going to be bananas,” McAfee added his opinion. “I assume it was near 50 million people. So, 50 million people started watching that, questioning every single thing those refs were doing. Because that’s how poor the f***ing refs were.”

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“Obviously, you talk about the way the game ended. With a punt and there was a potential block with a big return. Then, the late push. That’s 15 more yards,” He said.

“And then, there’s a third-and-nine that they had to re-do. Because there was a back ref that definitely comes running in moments before the ball is snapped… His job is to keep his eye on the clock. So, he comes running in. He doesn’t blow his whistle,” McAfee pointed it out

“Now, after the play has already been run, uninterrupted, with no whistles (and they haven’t stopped the clock), it’s fourth down, which is a pretty important play. Why couldn’t they have gone back and fixed the clock then, when they didn’t fix it on the down before?”

McAfee said that he could see why people watching the game might think there was something wrong as the game’s outcome was in doubt.

Fans in Cincinnati were certain that the Bengals would return to The Big Game, especially the ones who lived in the Cincinnati jungle.

“That third-and-nine situation certainly warrants the question marks about ‘why the f**k did you guys decide that this was how you were going to figure this out?‘ But on the flip side, it feeds – it absolutely pours gasoline onto the fire – of the NFL being rigged. And wanting Patrick Mahomes and a new dynasty back into the Super Bowl.”

McAfee mentioned later in the segment how many people would have had to be there. ‘the fix’ in the NFL, that such a scenario didn’t seem plausible. This scenario is possible thanks to networks as well as corporate partnerships and gambling partnerships.

Nevertheless, this did not stop fans or observers from adding their opinions to the #NFLRigged trending topic on Twitter for the majority of Monday.

This week, Philadelphia (16-3) and Kansas City (16-3 each in postseason and regular play), will be off as we head towards the Biggest Game. There has been some controversy.

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