The Kansas City Chiefs clinched their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance on Sunday night with a win over the Buffalo Bills, though a controversial fourth-quarter call from the referees played a big role in the outcome.
Late in the game, the Chiefs stopped Buffalo on a crucial fourth-down attempt when Bills quarterback Josh Allen came up just short on a fourth-down run. However, the spot quickly became a point of controversy.
Two officials on the field marked the ball in different spots. One of the spots would have given Buffalo a first down and the other would have left them just shy, handing possession back to Kansas City. The referees ultimately ruled in favor of the shorter spot, giving the ball back to Kansas City, and that decision was upheld upon review.
Days later, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane was still upset about the call.
“It’s frustrating,” Beane said according to Sports Illustrated. “There’s only so much I can say. We work with the league to try to get clarity. I’ll give them credit. They’ve taken our calls. They’ve sent video and things like that. If you’re talking about like the fourth-down play, I feel like [Allen] got that. I still feel like he got that. I felt that in the moment and nothing has changed my mind on that.”
Beane was not the only one who thought Allen got the first down. Bills head coach Sean McDermott was also confident that his quarterback got the first down on the play.
“I thought he had it,” McDermott said after the game. “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.”
CBS Sports rules analyst Gene Steretore felt the same way.
“I felt like he gained it by about a third of a football,” Steretore said during the broadcast. “That was just my take on the play. Tough, tough play.”
Unfortunately, even if there was a mistake, there is nothing that can be done about it now.
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