PITTSBURGH — I consider my daughter-in-law to be among the kindest, most even-tempered people I have met. The next time I see her angry will be the first — but then, I have never watched a Kansas City Chiefs game with her.

Apparently, that is when Dr. Jekyll becomes Mrs. Hyde.

She's a Philly girl and still loves Andy Reid, but that is where her affection for anything Chiefs begins and ends. After the Eagles won Sunday, I texted her that I'm rooting for somebody — anybody — to beat the Chiefs and that for some reason I become blindingly rageful while watching them.

"SAME," she texted back. "My god I hate them. I hate hate hate watching them play, and I become the worst version of myself."

I would estimate that at least 200 million Americans relate. We may not be united politically, but on this we are one people, indivisible, with animosity and contempt for all. Or at least for the Chiefs.

In more than half a century of obsessively watching sports, I'm not sure I have seen a team — even Bill Belicheat's New England Patriots — as universally reviled. Maybe that's a prisoner-of-the-moment take. The Patriots were absolutely a blight on society. Maybe it's the intensifying world of social media that has me wondering if the Chiefs have surpassed them on the repugnance meter.

It's just that everywhere I look, I see random Chief-rage tweets from people I do not know.

Like these ...

Zack, @ShowtymeZack:

Dear Josh Allen, Please beat the Chiefs.

Sincerely,

Literally everyone in the world.

Lauren Elizabeth, @xLauren_Mx: No one is better at snatching the soul and ripping the heart out of their opponent than the Chiefs. I despise them and their inevitability.

Mike Carpenter, @FanboyCarp: Is there a more boring, unlikable dynasty than the Chiefs? I begrudgingly respected the Patriots. What is it about KC that drives me insane?

Ashley Scardino, @AshLynnScar: I actually cannot articulate how much I hate watching the Chiefs.

Zach Alt, @ZachAltmyer: Please beat the Chiefs.

Signed,

Everyone

Nick Kostos is an Audacy Sports betting insider and host of the "You Better You Bet" podcast. I'd wager he spoke for much of a weary nation Saturday as the Chiefs were beating the Houston Texans, thanks in no small part to the referees coddling Kansas City quarterback Patrick "Flopper" Mahomes like he was a newborn at nap time.

It seemed that whenever a Texans defender got within whispering distance of Mahomes, a flag flew. By the middle of the second half, social media had erupted like Mount St. Helens, especially when Mahomes exaggerated a push in the back.

"I am reasonably certain this is the maddest Twitter has ever been at a sports team," Kostos tweeted. "People *HATE* the Chiefs. I think today is a stronger fever pitch than it ever was for the Patriots or any other team."

All of which got me to thinking, as the weekend faded in a flurry of Baltimore Ravens turnovers: Why do we feel this way?

I mean, Kansas City is a wonderful place. I have been there multiple times covering Steelers games. Great fans. Great food. The tailgate scene might be unmatched. And who doesn't like Reid? He's Santa Claus in a headset.

To borrow the words of Mr. Carpenter above, what is it about KC that drives us insane?

These are my best guesses ...

— They win literally all the time.

We're jealous. That's the obvious first reason, and it's a compliment to the Chiefs, who are 16-1 this season, making their seventh straight AFC championship game appearance and looking to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls.

Whether it's the dynastic New York Yankees, or the Steelers of the 1970s, or the Patriots, or Jimmy Johnson's Dallas Cowboys, people become sick of winners real fast. They grow tired of seeing them every single year, likely beating your team along the way (and I must confess, as a Buffalo native who retains affection for the Bills, that's a factor).

People outside of Pittsburgh were plain envious of Sidney Crosby and the Penguins when they were good every year and won three Stanley Cups. It seems to be especially bothersome when a clean-cut character like Crosby, Tom Brady or Mahomes is the face of the offending franchise. People resent the prom king. It's as simple as that.

But that's not the whole story here. That isn't what separates the Chiefs.

— The way they win.

It's never really shock and awe with this team. It's more like death by a thousand gnat bites. It's Mahomes annoyingly buying time and completing nine miniature passes on the final drive, slowly eroding your sanity because you know what's going to happen before it happens and you can't do anything about it. It's the inevitability the tweeter above referenced. You just have to sit there and watch it, swearing all the way.

— The tomahawk chop and chant.

As soon as the broadcast kicks in for a Chiefs playoff game, we hear the chant. We become irritated, or perhaps incensed. This could be post-traumatic stuff from watching the Atlanta Braves and their fans all those years, especially if you're a Pirates fan, but nobody likes the tomahawk chop. Everybody hates it. I often wonder if even some Chiefs fans doing it hate it but simply feel obliged.

— Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

I like Taylor Swift. My daughter loves her. She seems very nice. But it's back to the prom thing. We resent the queen, too. And in this case, there's just something incredibly irksome about seeing her up in that luxury suite, all warm and fuzzy and perfect, cheering for her obnoxious boyfriend every time he makes a big play, which is all the time in playoff games. Did I mention he's obnoxious? Kelce should have been flagged for taunting in the end zone Saturday as he stood over a Texans defender. But the refs always favor the Chiefs, or so it seems ...

— The refs always favor the Chiefs, or so it seems.

The numbers don't necessarily back this up, but the eye test and rage barometer sure do. The Athletic's Mike Sando reported that over the past two years, the Chiefs and their opponents have drawn roughly the same amount of flags late in games.

Fair enough, but that sure wasn't the case Saturday, when the Texans had twice as many, and it sure wasn't the case two years ago when the Chiefs basically WON THE SUPER BOWL on a ticky-tack holding call against Eagles cornerback James Bradberry — a call that absolutely ruined an otherwise epic game.

Ben Roethlisberger didn't have a dog in the fight, but even he was fuming.

"I'm really mad at that call," Roethlisberger said on his "Footbahlin' podcast," "because I think things like that happen every play."

"I agree with Ben 100%," said former Ravens coach Brian Billick.

Mahomes also embellished a hit out of bounds against the Bengals that won Kansas City the AFC title game that year (though the call was legit).

But back to Saturday's debacle, in which officials ignored all kinds of Chiefs infractions, including an obvious hip-drop tackle, Kelce's taunting, maybe a Chiefs offside on a Texans field goal miss and the fact that Kansas City's right tackle seemed to jump early on every play.

Most gallingly, we saw two flags for trivial contact with Mahomes. On one, two defenders cracked each other and barely touched Mahomes, causing normally languid Fox analyst Troy Aikman to spring to life like Frosty the Snowman and shred the officials.

The Chiefs even enrage Troy Aikman!

Walt Anderson, the NFL's VP of officiating, appeared on "NFL GameDay" the next day to defend his guys (big surprise), saying they're instructed to call roughing the passer "when in doubt" and that they're "gonna protect the quarterbacks."

Really? Then why no call when Detroit's Jared Goff was nearly decapitated Saturday and Lamar Jackson was blasted 5 yards out of bounds Sunday?

Then, when a questionable call goes against Mahomes, like the "offensive offsides" in the Buffalo game last year, he whines to Allen during their postgame handshake.

Or maybe we're the ones feasting on sour grapes because the Chiefs never lose. I suppose it's fair to mention that a ridiculous roughing-the-passer call in favor of Brady wrecked Mahomes' first appearance in the AFC championship game. It just feels to a fed-up football world like officials have been trying to appease him ever since — and I'm guessing few expect that to change Sunday.

As a man with the memorable handle "@NotKennyRogers" tweeted two days ago:

"The Buffalo Bills were just called for roughing the passer next week against Kansas City."

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