Kansas City Chiefs' penalty trends for the 2024 NFL season and how they can impact Super Bowl LIX vs. Philadelphia Eagles

There has been plenty of talk about NFL officiating in the lead-up to Super Bowl LIX, which will be played between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Feb. 9.

In the days ahead of Super Bowl LIX, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL Referees Association executive director commented about the hair-brained accusations of officiating bias surrounding the Chiefs. Kansas City is not afforded special treatment, but what's real is the Chiefs' preparation.

That includes preparation for NFL officiating. Weekly, players receive readouts on upcoming opponents' penalty strengths and weaknesses. They also learn how those strengths and weaknesses match those of the upcoming officiating crew. Knowledge is power, and players consume every piece that can give them an advantage or prevent them from being disadvantaged. 

Similarly, we can learn a lot from the season-long penalty trends for Kansas City and Philadelphia. Where are the penalty weaknesses for Kansas City in this Super Bowl LIX matchup? Let's take a look. 

Kansas City Chiefs' 2024 Penalty Breakdown:

The Chiefs ran 2,824 plays in 19 games during the 2024 NFL regular season and postseason. 

Kansas City was flagged for 103 penalties, totaling 879 penalty yards, but 134 flags were thrown, 20 penalties were declined, and 11 penalties were offset by penalties called against the other team. Their opponents had 121 penalties, totaling 979 penalty yards. 31 of the Chiefs' penalties were pre-snap penalties (false start, illegal shift, etc.). 

Offensive holding (31) and false start (19) were the two penalties with the highest frequency called against Kansas City, but this is true of virtually every NFL team. Those are just the most common and frequent penalties in the NFL. After that, you have defensive pass interference (10), unnecessary roughness (6), and defensive holding (6) as the top penalties called on the Chiefs. 

How could these penalty trends impact Super Bowl LIX?

The Eagles (20) and the Chiefs (21) have similar numbers regarding beneficial calls on offensive holding penalties, so their offensive lines will likely both have their hands full. Unnecessary roughness and defensive holding penalties should be areas of concern for Kansas City. The Eagles' 11 unnecessary roughness calls against their opponents are tied for the second most in the league this season. Traditionally, K.C. has been disciplined here, but in a Super Bowl with a lot on the line, emotion could run high. They'll need to stay disciplined and not fall for any bait.

The Eagles also have benefitted from seven defensive holding calls this season, with no offsetting or dismissed penalties. So, putting hands on an offensive player past five yards is risky. On the flip side, the Chiefs might see how much they can get away with by playing physically at the catch point in the secondary. Philadelphia tied for the third-fewest (6) beneficial defensive pass interference calls this season. The Chiefs were around the league average (9.8) in defensive pass interference penalties in 2024.