>>150893539
>Analyzing 13,136 defensive penalties from 2015 to 2023, we find that postseason officiating disproportionately favors the Mahomes-era Kansas City Chiefs
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5150453
>Moreover, we find that referees are more likely to call penalties that benefit the Mahomes era Chiefs offense in high-leverage situations. When conditioning on the expected points added (EPA) potential of a play, postseason penalties tend to occur in ways that disproportionately advantage the Chiefs when they are in strong scoring position. Similarly, when conditioning on down to go, referees are more likely to call penalties that favor the Chiefs on third or fourth down, which are situations where penalties can directly extend drives. Importantly, we find no comparable postseason effect for the Brady-era Patriots, the Alex Smith–Andy Reid-era Chiefs, or other recent contenders such as the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, or San Francisco 49ers.