Sean McDermott, like many others, believed Bills quarterback Josh Allen moved the chains.
“I thought he had it,” the Bills head coach told reporters at Arrowhead Stadium after Buffalo suffered a 32-29 loss against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
Referee Clete Blakeman and his crew, however, disagreed.
The officiating crew ruled Kansas City’s defense halted Allen before the 6-foot-5, 237-pound quarterback crossed the 40-yard line on a fourth-and-1 attempt. Buffalo ultimately turned the ball over on downs with 13 minutes left, which gave Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs a short field for their ensuing drive.
Kansas City marched 59 yards in five plays and Mahomes’ 10-yard touchdown run capped the possession. The Chiefs did not trail from that point forward.
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“The line was — just short of the (40-yard) line was actually the first down,” McDermott said. “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.”
McDermott said the only view he had was the one shown inside Arrowhead Stadium and he was unsure if it was the same angle shown on the CBS broadcast. Many fans — and a former Patriots player — who saw the broadcast angle strongly believed Allen converted.
Buffalo’s head coach said he didn’t want to make excuses or say the ruling was the reason the Bills lost, but he did admit it made the defeat tougher to swallow.
“Yeah, of course it does. Darn right, it does,” McDermott said. “That’s a possession we’re up one point (22-21), I believe, at the time. A chance to go up multiple scores at that point, it’s a big call. It’s absolutely a big call.”
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Allen connected with Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid on the previous play, but Kincaid was ruled just short on the third-and-3 pass play. Kincaid looked like he landed on the first down line, as well.
Unfortunately for the Bills, neither went their way. Buffalo now has been eliminated by Kansas City in four of the last five postseasons and the Chiefs will advance to play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
Featured image via Denny Medley/Imagn Images
