The Great (Non)-Conspiracy

 The meme popped up in the social media swamp shortly after Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews had his Jackie Smith moment last night, dropping a two-point conversion pass that would have forced overtime in  the best of the weekend's divisional playoff games. Instead, Andrews and the Ravens were headed home, and Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills were moving on to yet another clash of titans against the Chiefs in Kansas City.

 And here came the meme -- or rather, here came only the latest in an avalanche of them.

Maybe you saw it: A photo of a game official, accompanied by the notation that the Bills had just been called for roughing the passer in Kansas City. The joke being, of course, that Bills-Chiefs is a week away.

In any event, it was the latest piece of the obsession we'll call the Great Chiefs Conspiracy,  which has been a hardy perennial since Patrick Mahomes started showing up in the Super Bowl every year (not to mention in every second or third commercial that pops up on the 80-inch Samsung these days). Over-exposure first makes people weary and then makes them crazy, which is how we got to a place where even folks who should know better are lining up for seconds on the latter.

I'm talking Mark Schlereth, former player and now professional analyst. I'm also talking  sports-yap poodle Skip Bayless, although Skippy-Doo is hardly a stranger to goofy pronouncements.

His latest, Schlereth's latest, and half of America's latest is the NFL is rigged because the Chiefs GET ALL THE CALLS. And that's because of TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER SWIFTIES, who somehow have convinced Roger Goodell to LET THE CHIEFS WIN.

The fix is in, in other words. Or, not, if you're of a saner temperament.

Look. No one's denying Mahomes was the beneficiary of a couple of sketchy roughing-the-passer calls the other night against the Texans. He was. So, it should be noted, is every other marquee quarterback in the league. The only conspiracy involved in that is the league wants to protect its most valuable properties.

Or perhaps you've already forgotten the unofficial Thou Shalt Not Touch Tom Brady edict back when No. 12 was playing.

As far as I can remember, there wasn't nearly so much grumbling about conspiracies when Brady and the Patriots showed up in the Big Roman Numeral every year. Perhaps that was because of their sheer undeniable excellence; the Chiefs' excellence, on the other hand, is harder to define. Mostly it's Mahomes magic, a big-play defense and Andy Reid over there drawing up plays in the dirt.

And, of course, paying off the refs from the roll of Benjamins he keeps in the pocket of his Chiefs parka.

Nah, just kidding. Although the Great Chiefs Conspiracy adherents would no doubt believe it.

The idea that game officials are capable of handing out victories on their own is and always has been absurd on its face, but judging from the post-game reactions lots of people buy into it. The Chiefs undoubtedly were aided by some timely flags the other night, as previously noted. But I watched the game, and you know what I didn't see?

I didn't see the officials sacking Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud eight times.

I didn't see an official miss a Texans field goal or get another attempt blocked.

I didn't see an official forget to cover Travis Kelce, who caught seven balls for 117 yards and a touchdown. And I didn't see an official don a No. 15 jersey and throw a dart for that touchdown while flying through the air.

No, sir. That sure looked like Patrick Mahomes doing typically oh-my-God Patrick Mahomes things. Maybe one of the refs magically guided the ball right between the "8" and the "7" on Kelce's chest, but if it happened I missed it.

What I did see is all of the above got the Chiefs home by nine points, 23-14. And the zebras didn't score any of 'em.

Yeah, I know. Hard to believe, right?