The AFC Conference Championship is set, and so are the referee assignments. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen will face off for the second time this season, but this matchup carries significantly more weight with a ticket to the Super Bowl on the line.
The history between these two stars adds intrigue to Sunday’s matchup. Allen and the Bills took down the Chiefs back in Week 11, winning 30-21 in Buffalo. However, Mahomes and Kansas City have the upper hand in postseason history, having defeated the Bills in the 2020 AFC Championship with a decisive 38-24 victory at Arrowhead Stadium.
After Kansas City beat the Texans in the divisional round, social media buzzed with talk of Mahomes benefiting from favorable officiating. It's a narrative that’s followed him throughout his career—and, at times, is fair. But with Clete Blakeman assigned as the head referee for this game, the stats paint a different picture of how the game might be officiated.
Blakeman's officiating history suggests this might not be a walk in the park for Mahomes and the Chiefs. According to Athlon Sports, since Mahomes became Kansas City’s starter in 2018, he’s just 5-6 in games officiated by Blakeman. The most recent was a Christmas Day loss in 2023 to the Raiders, where the Chiefs were flagged five times for 44 yards in a 20-14 defeat.
For Allen, the numbers tell a different story. The Bills' star quarterback owns a 6-2 record in games officiated by Blakeman. Athlon Sports also points out that his most recent win with Blakeman came in Week 17 this season when Buffalo crushed the Jets 40-14. In that game, the Bills were penalized seven times for 60 yards, while the Jets racked up 16 penalties for a staggering 120 yards.
This won’t be Blakeman’s first rodeo in a conference championship. Last season, he officiated the NFC title game, where the 49ers beat the Lions 34-31.
Related
