Aaaaand… the refs did it again. The game that was supposed to be tight, competitive, and exciting, ended up being controversial instead. On January 26, the two-time defending champion, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Buffalo Bills took to the gridiron to tussle for the AFC Championship, and the Super Bowl 59. Spirits were high on both sides, and Josh Allen was entirely convinced he’d rewrite history—after leading his team to a blistering 13-3 record up until then. However, luck has a cruel way of running out, and on Sunday, the ink definitely ran dry…

But before we get to that…It’s not like the Bills didn’t play a good game of football. Despite opening with a slow start with a three-and-out, and the Chiefs taking an early 7-0 lead (thanks to a 90-yard TD), Buffalo answered with a field goal, with a Mahomes fumble helping Allen’s team turn the tides 10-7 early in the second quarter. However, the fumble gave Mahomes the boost his team needed, as they went on a 14 points unanswered spree, settling the score at 21-16.

When the game came back in the second half, the Bills answered with a one-yard run touchdown by James Cook. Though their two-point conversion attempt failed, the Bills outscored the Chiefs 22-21. And then, as the fourth quarter crept in, so did the Bills’ doomsday.

On fourth-and-1 at the 41-yard line, the Buffalo Bills attempted to pick a first down with the ‘Tush Push’—their second attempt at the move during the game. Allen, in possession of the ball at the time, tried to push through the intensifying mage of Chiefs’ players toward the marker. And for the most part, it looked like the QB had managed to secure the first down. But, in a moment that can be described as pure cinema, the officials ruled that Allen had fallen short. Interestingly, this comes amid one crew member appearing to give Josh Allen the first down.

As expected, the decision split the fandom into two, with some deeming the call as favoritism toward the Chiefs—an allegation that’s not new for NFL refs. Even CBS Rules analyst Gene Steratore felt the game changing call was wrong, as he stated, “I felt like he gained it by about a third of the football, Jim. That was just my take on the play. Tough, tough play,” to which Jim Nantz responded, “I agree.” 

CBS Sports Booth’s color analyst Tony Romo, on the other hand, seemed surprised after the refs confirmed the call after the review. “Wow! That’s so close, whatever the call was, I don’t think you can overturn it.” The replays couldn’t provide a clear angle because of the heap of players.

Even Sean McDermott seemed to agree in a post-game press conference.“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 HC said.

This resulted in a shift, helping the Chiefs capitalize on the moment immediately. They then turned the spot into a game-changing drive, finishing it with a 10-yard touchdown run. Then, a 2-point conversion to Justin Watson extended the Chiefs’s lead to 29-22 with just over 10 minutes left. That single call felt like the turning point, and the Bills could only watch the game slip further away.

Top Comment by psflor

What about the fumbles, interceptions and face masks???

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Debate

The game finally ended 32-29, but the controversies surely didn’t…

One such incident in the game was when, according to Dov Kleiman, “The Chiefs nearly tore off Josh Allen’s face mask…” on the fourth-and-1 conversion. However, no flag was thrown. This caused many Bills fans, reporters, and analysts to question the refs’ decisions. Kleiman also questioned, “WHERE IS THE FLAG??” on X.

So, as expected…

The controversial call on Josh Allen makes the Bills Mafia fume

Last year has seen endless controversial calls going in the favor of the Chiefs. Therefore, this AFC game wasn’t strange either. After Josh Allen’s fourth-down stop moment, the Bills Mafia poured in with their colorful thoughts for the Chiefs, NFL, and the referees. For instance, a fan shared, “CBS’ Gene S. says it should have been first down for Bills.” With this information, this person tried to convey to the non-watchers that the broadcasters disagreed with the refs, saying that Buffalo converted it. However, luck was on the Chiefs’ side.

Well, as per an eye-popping stat by ESPN, since 2021, the Chiefs have had just 36 penalties during the Playoffs as opposed to their opponents’ 66. Sports Illustrated broke it down further: “In 11 games KC’s opponents have been called for more penalties and for more penalty yards 10 times. And they have a massive edge in judgement calls like pass interference and roughing penalties.” 

“During the 2020 playoffs the Chiefs were called for more penalties and penalty yards in two out of their three postseason games. Including Super Bowl LV, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were called for just four penalties for 39 yards while the Chiefs were called for 11 penalties totaling 120 yards.” 

Besides that, another one also explained the situation of the analysts in the booth. The X user wrote, “What do you think Gene? ref analyst:”I think he gained it,” “so did I” ah well, nevertheless Chiefs ball.” This came out as sarcasm on the refs’s decisions, as others too chimed in saying that it’s “an awful call and again a worse review. The ball clearly is past the line. Absolutely horrible,” and “That’s Chiefs football – classic call by refs. Can’t let the darlings of the NFL lose a playoff game.” Now those are really some harsh words!

But the Bills handled the situation as professionally as they could. In a post-game conference, the Bills QB said, “It’s not fun. But to be the champs, you’ve got to beat the champs, and we didn’t do it tonight…You can either get it done or you can’t. And we didn’t get it done”.

McDermott, stated, “[The Chiefs are] a good football team. They’ve won two Super Bowls, been to seven straight AFC Championship Games. That’s no excuse. This is a good football team. We’ve got to keep working to get over that hump, there is no doubt about it. We’ve won a lot of tough games this year against really good opponents, really good coaches. I’m proud of this football team. This is obviously a challenge for us. We’ll figure it out.”

Nevertheless, it’s too late for Josh Allen and the Bills mafia now. The Chiefs have advanced to Super Bowl LIX for a rematch of Super Bowl LVII against the Eagles. They’re one step away from creating an incredible piece of history with a three-peat.

Let us know who, you think, will take home the trophy in the comment section below!