Sean McDermott Thinks Refs Blew Call In AFC Championship Game
01/27/2025 11:30 AM
As exciting as last night's AFC Championship Game was, the story for some people this morning is the refs.
On that controversial spot following Josh Allen's fourth-down sneak early in the fourth quarter, CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore admitted that he thought the Bills QB gained enough yardage to be awarded the first — but that's not how officials saw it.
That's also what Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott thought and at his postgame press conference he was at a loss.
"I thought he had it," McDermott said. "Just short of the line was actually the first down, what it looked like to me when it was sitting next to me with the marker. Just inside that white stripe was the first down. And it looked like he got to it. That's all I can say."
The Bills were up by one at the time and a scoring drive would've put a decent amount of pressure on the back-to-back defending champs. However, that's not the way it went and the Chiefs ended up scoring on their possession on the ensuing turnover on downs.
It may be a little heavy-handed to say the game was determined on that play but it certainly was a momentum shift that got the ball in Patrick Mahomes' hands sooner than if the Bills had converted.
Allen was similarly heartbroken following the loss.
"It's not fun. But to be the champs, you've got to beat the champs, and we didn't do it tonight," Allen said. "You can either get it done or you can't. And we didn't get it done."
This has to be a tough one to stomach for Buffalo and its fans. But the idea that the game was "rigged" or the referees "cheated" to give Kansas City the victory just doesn't hold any weight.
Related: Prayers Are Pouring In For Josh Allen After AFC Championship Game
