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NFL, American Football Herren, USA Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots Jan 5, 2025 Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen 17 on the field after the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Foxborough Gillette Stadium Massachusetts USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xDavidxButlerxIIx 20250105_db2_sv3_042
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NFL, American Football Herren, USA Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots Jan 5, 2025 Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen 17 on the field after the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Foxborough Gillette Stadium Massachusetts USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xDavidxButlerxIIx 20250105_db2_sv3_042
Another season and another heartbreak for Josh Allen and the Bills when they were just a few steps closer to their maiden Super Bowl title. Over the past five years, the Chiefs have now dashed the Bills’ Super Bowl aspirations on four occasions. In the 2020 season, the Chiefs trampled the Bills in the AFC Championship game. The following year, they edged out Buffalo in a nail-biting Divisional Round overtime thriller, thanks to Patrick Mahomes’ incredible game-tying drive with a mere 13 seconds remaining at Arrowhead.
Fast forward two years, and the Chiefs once again eliminated Allen and the Bills from the playoffs in a second-round encounter, in which Buffalo’s kicker Tyler Bass missed a crucial game-tying field goal. But Sunday’s loss, however, may have been the most disastrous of the lot. With the clock ticking down, the Chiefs grabbed the lead with a 35-yard field goal from Harrison Butker, making it 32-29 in their favor. With 3:33 remaining and the Bills trailing by three, Allen had the opportunity to set a game-winning drive and propel his side to the Super Bowl.
Before the drive, CBS cameras captured Allen affirming himself, “Yeah, I’m ready.” However, those words came back to bite the Bills quarterback. On a critical 4th and 5, with the season hanging in the balance, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo unleashed a late corner blitz that kind of surprised the Bills, forcing Allen into scramble mode. Under intense pressure, he launched the ball downfield toward Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid. The pass, if completed, would have put Buffalo within field goal range with less than two minutes on the clock.
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But, Kincaid could not collect Allen’s pass, ending their hopes of reaching the Super Bowl. However, despite the loss, Allen did not lose his spirit, as he pulled off a class act during his interaction with Patrick Mahomes after the game. The NFL films released the mic’d-up moments from the contest that featured the conversation. “Hell of a year, man. Hell of a year,” the Chiefs’ QB said to Allen. Allen responded, “Go get another one,” he told Mahomes for his third Super Bowl. This might sound better considering a Questionable Call on Josh Allen’s Fourth Down Attempt.
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The call might well be seen as the turning point of the game. The Bills, facing a fourth-and-short while down by one point early in the fourth quarter, called a QB sneak for Josh Allen. Allen appeared to get past the line to gain amidst a slew of Kansas City Chiefs defenders, but was pushed backward by the end of the play and the ball was spotted short of the first down. An overhead camera view appeared to show Allen clearly getting well past the marker. Even CBS rules official Gene Steratore thought that Allen got the first. However, the referees on the field differed.
The call stood. The Bills turned the ball over. The Chiefs took advantage, scoring a touchdown shortly thereafter. Speaking of it Bills head coach Sean McDermott did not mince words. “I thought he had it,” McDermott said per Pro Football Talk. “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.” However, Allen never complained. Well, that’s the exact opposite reaction if we compare it to Mahomes’ in the 2023 regular season defeat.
“Go get another one.”
— Bills QB Josh Allen to Patrick Mahomes after the AFC Championship Game. pic.twitter.com/q3tolPSLvi
— Chiefs Blitz (@ChiefsBlitz) January 30, 2025
The thing is, after losing to the Bills, Mahomes went straight to Josh Allen and complained about the officials. But Allen straight-up called the Chiefs ‘champs’ like a true sportsman, even in defeat. “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 after the game. “You can either get it done or you can’t. And we didn’t get it done.” Mahomes reciprocated nicely during the post-game press conference.
“I always feel for him—he’s a great player, an amazing competitor and an awesome dude who I respect so much,” Mahomes said. “I’m sorry it had to be us. But, you know, we compete, and someone has to win.” Meanwhile, Allen’s spirits also came out when he stood by his team-mate Kincaid.
“I got to be better for him. I didn’t feel like I put him in enough good situations this year, ball-placement-wise. He can sit there and think about that play over and over, but I got to be better for him. That’s what it comes down to, and get him more involved. I know he’s been battling throughout the entire year, bumps and bruises and probably games that he shouldn’t have played he was in, but he’s a tough sucker, and I got nothing but love for him, how he’s approached this year. He’s going to be so much better next year,” Allen said. However, Kincaid did not hide his remorse.
A visibly distraught Kincaid said after the game that the missed opportunity “sucks a lot.” “Josh got the ball off. He was pressured, and it was hanging up there and I just wasn’t able to catch it,” Kincaid said, via New York Upstate. “Right now, it obviously hurts a lot, and it’s going to linger for a while, but eventually, you’ve got to move on. And hopefully, you grow from this, and I believe that will be the case, but for the time being, it’s going to hurt a lot.” With all that, the Chiefs are now all set to play their third straight Super Bowl against the Eagles in New Orleans. But for the Bills, disappointment was not over yet.
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Josh Allen and the Bills got a bad news
Seems like the Bills can’t catch a break—right after their heartbreaker in the conference championship against the Chiefs, their defense took another huge hit. And yes, you can breathe easy—it’s not a player injury we’re talking about. But hold up, that doesn’t mean this setback is any less of a blow.
According to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, “The New England Patriots are expected to hire Bills nickels coach/senior defensive assistant Scott Booker, a source tells @CBSSports/@247Sports.” Booker joined the Bills last year after spending six seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Yep, you guessed that right. If the Patriots hire Booker, then he will re-join Mike Vrabel, who is now the head coach of the New England team.
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During his one-year tenure with the Buffalo team, Scott Booker closely worked with Taron Johnson, Ja’Marcus Ingram, and Brandon Codrington. But here’s the catch: under his coaching, the Bills’ secondary was outsmarted by the Chiefs in the championship round. The Kansas City team’s rookie wide receiver, Xavier Worthy was targeted seven times by Patrick Mahomes. The result? Well, he recorded a game-high six receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown.
All in all, Scott Booker is probably done with the Bills after the season-ending loss. Now, it will be interesting to see who will be Booker’s replacement in the following season.
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Is Josh Allen too classy for his own good, or should he start calling out bad calls?
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Is Josh Allen too classy for his own good, or should he start calling out bad calls?
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