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Is the NFL rigged?

No. No, it is not.

Joe Flacco #19 of the New York Jets walks to the huddle before a play during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on January 8, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
If you think the league is rigged but your team is relying on this guy to win a game to get you in the playoffs, think twice about your whining.
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Super Bowl update: Somebody posted a fake screenshot showing the Eagles winning Super Bowl 57 by a final score of 37-34. It’s likely the person used a script to fake a Pro Football Reference box score page. Once again, we’re here to remind you that the NFL is not rigged.

UPDATE: After Sunday’s AFC and NFC Championship Games, #NFLRigged was trending once again. And once again, we’d like to remind you that the NFL is not in fact rigged. The league has not provided much in the way of transparency around its officiating process, so it’s not surprised people start to complain about this, but let’s be perfectly clear, THE NFL IS NOT RIGGED.

It doesn’t take long for this to start trending when something bad happens to a team with a large fanbase. Following the Patriots and Steelers getting eliminated from playoff contention, #nflrigged was trending among sports topics on Twitter.

So, is the league rigged against the Patriots or the Steelers or anybody else?

The short answer is No.

The long answer is ...

Nooooooo.

If you’re one of these folks complaining on Twitter that the league is rigged against your team, it is time to step away from the computer. If you are a Patriots fan who was relying on Mac Jones to secure you a playoff berth or you were a Steelers fan hoping Joe Flacco would beat the Dolphins, you might want to do some soul-searching about your squad before you start whining about everything being rigged against your team.

The NFL is not rigged. Your team is just not good enough.