“Refs With the BS”: Broncos Fans Upset With Flag Thrown After Patrick Mahomes’ Interception

You may have heard this before, but Patrick Mahomes just threw an interception only to have it wiped away by a subsequent penalty on the defense. Throughout the 2024 regular season, one of the biggest story lines in the National Football League was the fact that Mahomes, since 2018, has led the league in interceptions that were taken away by a defensive penalty.

Well, he’s now recorded yet another one, and the fan base of the Denver Broncos is irate. Even though they came into Week 11 with an 8-2 record, this still figured to be a must-win game for the Broncos, who are hoping to clinch their first divisional title since 2015.

After an errant pass from Mahomes found its way into the hands of Ja’Quan McMillian, it seemed as if they were well on their way to doing so, but then came the dreaded yellow penalty flag. Suffice to say, the internet handled it about as well as you would expect it to.

Fans immediately began to cry foul, as the convenience of the Chiefs continues to seemingly take precedent over everything else. And given the shoddy state of officiating this year, many had a hard time believing that the penalty was a valid one.

A good chunk of fans are now in the know about the aforementioned trend of Mahomes’ turnovers being wiped off the board. The only problem, however, is that they are becoming increasingly vocal, and given the questionable nature of this particular penalty, the league is seeing a bit more backlash than usual.

The situation was then exacerbated by the Chiefs marching their way down the field to find a touchdown at the top of the fourth quarter. After spending the majority of the game either behind or tied with the Broncos, they were finally able to take advantage of the situation that the zebras helped to create.

Naturally, that three-point lead prompted even more comments from fans, with the majority of said comments containing the letters “B” and S.”

Whether or not the officials were in the right to throw this flag, the true takeaway here is the fact that the everyday fan has clearly grown tired of seeing Mahomes and co. receive what they believe to be preferential treatment. In a day and age where the league is actively promoting gambling and millions of dollars are being wagered on each and every single one of their contests, incidents such as these shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Until something changes, some poor social media intern is going to continue to field a never-ending sea of complaints in the comment section. But then again, when your favorite team is being victimized by one of the most suspicious trends in all of football, it’s hard to feel any other way.

Thankfully, Denver was still presented with a fair opportunity at the end of the day. The Broncos had possession of the ball while trailing 19-16 late in the fourth quarter, and they were even able to reach the Chiefs’  36-yard line, but they were ultimately forced to settle for a field goal.

Sorry Broncos fans, but you can’t put this one completely on the refs. After all, you still control your own destiny when it’s all said and done.