NFL Announces Refereeing Crew for Chiefs vs. Bills AFC Championship Game

The Chiefs and Bills know who will be enforcing the rules in the AFC championship game.

Aug 21, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Jake Fromm (4) shakes hands with referee Clete Blakeman (34) during warmups before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-Imagn Images | Jon Durr-Imagn Images

The NFL's refereeing assignments have been set for the conference championship games, and the Kansas City Chiefs know who will be making the calls at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday evening.

When the Chiefs face off with the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game, the head referee will be Clete Blakeman, while Shawn Hochuli will referee the NFC championship game.

Blakeman's 2024–25 crew includes Scott Campbell, Dana McKenzie, Julian Mapp, Karina Tovar, James Coleman, Jonah Monroe, Chad Adams and Amber Cornell, according to Football Zebras.

As noted by Mike Sando of The Athletic, Mahomes is 6-5 in games officiated by Blakeman and his crew. When evaluating Mahomes's record by referee (an already-questionable exercise), Mahomes has his second-worst record with Blakeman at the helm. (Mahomes is 4-4 in games officiated by Brad Allen.)

Still, plenty of social media users were sure that Blakeman's appointment would lead to certain success for Kansas City.

It's almost like these people already have their minds made up... https://t.co/UOaPfuqH76 pic.twitter.com/1gnMpNXyBI

— Joshua Brisco (@jbbrisco) January 20, 2025

With those reactions in mind, Sando also shared another noteworthy detail as the refereeing discourse seeps deeper and deeper into NFL conversations.

"Forget the conspiracy theories," Sando wrote. "NFL officials have assessed 47 penalties against the Chiefs in the fourth quarters and overtimes of one-score games over the past two seasons, including playoffs. Those same officials have assessed 48 penalties against the Chiefs' opponents in those same critical situations. The yardage totals are similarly close: 307 yards against the Chiefs, compared to 340 yards against their opponents."

#NFLPlayoffs officiating assignments #WASvsPHI &#BUFvsKC
In the @PatrickMahomes era, the #Chiefs are 5-6 SU & 4-6-1 ATS w' Clete Blakeman , most recently their 20-14 Christmas day loss to #Raiders in 2023

That also includes the @Chiefs
37-31 OT loss to #Patriots
In 2019… pic.twitter.com/zh7WmELMrM

— nflrefstats (@nflrefstats1) January 20, 2025

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