Are the Chiefs supervillains? Or are they just really, really good?

The Kansas City Chiefs have succeeded the Patriots as the NFL’s reigning dynasty. They will try to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowl titles when they face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at the Superdome. They are seeking their fourth Super Bowl victory with Coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.

And, accordingly, they have become a team their fans love — and that so many others love to hate. They have replaced the Patriots as the NFL’s supposed evil empire, prompting social media conspiracy theorists to postulate that they get all the calls or even that the league has rigged the outcome of games in their favor.

“I think it’s natural,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said Monday. “And we certainly saw it with the Patriots when they were on their almost two-decade run as the best team in the National Football League. It was fun looking back five or six years ago when we made Super Bowl 54; it really felt like we had a lot of the country behind us. And that’s maybe shifted. And I think that’s just natural sentiment that fans want to see their team have an opportunity and they don’t like the same team always being on top.”

The Patriots had the gruff, unsmiling, ruthless competitiveness of Bill Belichick as their coach and the more glamorous but equally driven and demanding presence of Tom Brady as their quarterback. The Chiefs have a softer edge. Reid and, especially, Mahomes are accomplished TV-ad pitchmen. Kelce’s relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift has expanded his stardom exponentially. None of that seems to matter, at least to some.

“I don’t even think it’s embracing being the villains,” Mahomes said at Monday’s Super Bowl media night. “We embrace who we are. We believe we play the game the right way. We believe that we play with a lot of heart and a lot of passion for the game and then we win football games. And if winning football games makes you a villain, we’re going to keep going out there and doing it.”

Kelce was asked what question he would like to ask the media.

“If I could ask the media one question? Um, why are you guys leaning into this whole ref thing?” Kelce said. “You know what I mean? Why are you guys leaning into it?”

The issue even came up during Commissioner Roger Goodell’s annual Super Bowl news conference Monday. Goodell referenced previous accusations that the entire NFL season was scripted.

“Well, that sort of reminds me a little bit of the script, right?” Goodell said. “That I write the script and I have the script for the entire season? Listen, I think a lot of those theories are things that happen on social media and pick up a new life. As you say, it’s not your theory, but it’s out there. Nobody wants it to be their theory. And so I understand it. I think it reflects a lot of the fans’ passion. And I think it’s also a reminder for us of how important officiating is. I think the men and women who officiate in the NFL are outstanding. We have the highest possible standards. It’s a ridiculous theory, for anyone who might take it seriously.”

The flash points during the AFC playoffs included the Chiefs benefiting from two personal fouls called against the Houston Texans for illegal hits on Mahomes during the divisional round, followed by a controversial spot of the ball by the officials on a failed fourth-down quarterback sneak by the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen during the AFC championship game.

The calls against the Texans were debatable, but not necessarily wrong, under the NFL’s rules for hits on players defined to be in defenseless positions. The league has said it may add some calls, including hits on defenseless players, to the list of plays subject to its replay-assist system next season. The spot on the Allen sneak likewise could be questioned but was difficult to categorize as erroneous. The NFL might use an electronic system for measuring first downs next season, although that system still would require the on-field officials to spot the ball at the end of each play.

“At the end of the day, it’s something we always have to continue to work on: How do we make our officiating better at all times?” Goodell said.

Scott Green, the executive director of the NFL Referees Association, said in a statement Tuesday: “It is insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that somehow 17 officiating crews consisting of 138 officials are colluding to assist one team.”

All of the complaints could be taken as a compliment by the Chiefs. Hunt said he’s not taking that approach.

“I don’t know that I take it as a compliment,” he said. “But, again, it’s just sort of human nature, right? Our family was lucky enough to be involved with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s when they had their two three-peats. And there were a lot of similar comments made about the team always getting the calls, that the league was rigged for [Michael] Jordan, which of course was absolute nonsense. The NFL is definitely not that way. All 32 teams are focused on trying to win a championship. We’re just fortunate that we’ve been able to prevail and get back to this big game.”

The end of the Chiefs’ dynasty is not in sight. Mahomes is just 29. Kelce is 35 but said Monday that he plans to keep playing beyond Sunday. Hunt said he knows “for a fact” that Reid will return next season and believes Reid will keep coaching the Chiefs “for a long time.” Reid, who turns 67 next month, confirmed Tuesday that he intends to coach the team next season.

“Just listening to our players talk over the last decade … they all say it’s about how Andy cared about them as a person,” Hunt said. “Now, he also is willing to hold them accountable. And that’s the other piece to it, right? It can’t be all relationship. And you’ve heard the term ‘players’ coach.’ You’ve got to be willing to hold them accountable. And Andy does that.”

Hunt said this week is nostalgic for him because the Chiefs are practicing at Tulane University, near where they won Super Bowl IV in January 1970 at Tulane Stadium. He has a photo on his desk of himself, at age 4, sitting alongside his father, late Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, in the stands that day. By Sunday, it will be about making history rather than reflecting on it.

“We’ve known the whole year that we have an opportunity to do something historic,” Hunt said. “And we’ve taken the steps as we’ve gone along — winning the division, getting that number one seed so that we got the bye, winning the playoff games, including the AFC championship game. Now we’re back in the Super Bowl, and we’ve given ourselves a chance to do something special. But just like everything we did during the regular season, it’s going to require being at our best.”