Why ref appointment for AFC Championship game is huge boost to the Chiefs and hopes of a Taylor Swift Super Bowl
There is no guarantee that Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will beat the Baltimore Ravens to reach another Super Bowl.
But having referee Shawn Smith assigned to Sunday's AFC Championship surely doesn't hurt the Chiefs' chances of winning.
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According to , home teams have only won 40.8 percent of games during the last three years when Smith has been an assigned ref.
The No. 1 seed Ravens are favored against the Chiefs, primarily because they're playing at home inside M&T Bank Stadium and led by likely NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.
But Kansas City is coming off a convincing road win against Buffalo that left Mahomes screaming the Bills had "asked for it."
Then there's the fact that Taylor Swift is the world's most popular Chiefs fan.
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With Kansas City just one win away from returning to the Super Bowl, all eyes will be on the NFL as some fans wonder what, if anything, the league is willing to do to ensure that Tay Tay is a big part of the big game.
Super Bowl LVIII is set for Sunday, February 11 in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium.
Smith reportedly has the lowest home win rate of any ref in the NFL and has a tendency to call false starts on home teams.
Baltimore is known for having one of the best fanbases in the league.
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But Kansas City has become a national team, with the Chiefs making six consecutive AFC Championship appearances, and Mahomes has replaced Tom Brady as the face of the league.
Statistics favor the Ravens, who held the AFC's best record (13-4) and produced a plus-203 point differential.
But Baltimore went 6-3 at home this season, while Kansas City was a sharp 6-2 on the road.
If a ref's call plays a key factor late on Sunday, Smith's assignment to the game could be a controversial topic after the AFC's Super Bowl representative is already heading to Las Vegas.
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