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Chiefs vs. Texans Referee News Gives KC Massive Advantage in Divisional Round

By Joe Summers

Nov 24, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid yells out to his offense during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Nov 24, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid yells out to his offense during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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The Chiefs are getting set for a Divisional Round matchup with the Texans on Saturday and we now know what referee crew will be in charge of the contest.

Clay Martin, who has been with the NFL since 2015 and a referee since 2018, was assigned as the head referee for the 3:30 PM CT game. Kansas City is a perfect 6-0 in the Patrick Mahomes era with Martin refereeing, giving the Chiefs an extra advantage in a contest they're already big favorites in.

Barring a surprise, they'll soon improve to 7-0 and hopefully will be preparing to host another AFC Championship by this time next week.

Chiefs vs. Texans Divisional Round Referee Crew Announced

The only Chiefs game that Martin was in charge of this season was the 19-17 victory over the Raiders at the end of November. During that matchup, Kansas City had seven penalties for 40 yards while Las Vegas had nine for 101 yards.

Martin was also the referee for the Chiefs' 22-17 Divisional Round victory over the Browns in 2021, though Cleveland was called for only three penalties in that contest.

In 2024, games that Martin called saw the home team receive only 45.32% of the penalties, roughly four percent below league average. That suggests he could give favor to the Chiefs and may be influenced by the rowdy crowd at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Overall, it doesn't really matter what referees are on the field. Kansas City is a 7.5-point favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook and justifiably considered to be the superior team and that'd be true no matter what crew was working the game.

The Texans were impressive in their dominant victory over the Chargers though were called for eight penalties for 86 yards. Houston ranked 27th in the NFL in penalties per game (7.1) while the Chiefs were fifth (5.5).

There's a clear advantage that Kansas City can take advantage of and based on Martin's assignment, fans should feel extremely confident about this Saturday.

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