The Buffalo Bills are getting some support from an unlikely place after their controversial loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
The Bills fell to the Chiefs 32-29 in a game mired by controversy, the biggest one coming on a fourth-quarter sneak by quarterback Josh Allen on a critical fourth down play. Many watching — including the CBS broadcast crew — believed that Allen had crossed the line to gain, but officials ruled him short and the spot was upheld after review.
The call led to widespread pushback, with even a rival player voicing his support for the Bills.
Bills Get Support After Questionable Call
The fourth down stop ended up being one of the critical moments of the game, with the Chiefs scoring a touchdown on the next drive to take a 29-22 lead. Though the Bills would tie the game later in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs got a late field goal and stopped the Bills on their final drive to take the victory and move on to the Super Bowl.
But the call generated some major controversy, with even Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey saying officials “robbed” the Bills.
“They lowkey did rob the Bills from the 4th down conversion. Josh definitely crossed the line,” Humphrey shared in a post on X.
Humphrey would have no added incentive to be charitable toward the Bills, who last week eliminated the Ravens from the playoffs. Just before his post defending the Bills, Humphrey took the opportunity to twist the knife a bit for the Bills.
Humphrey quoted another post reporting that an unnamed Bills player taunted the Ravens a bit after the win, saying, “Now those 9 Pro Bowlers can go to the Pro Bowl.”
“after the pro bowl maybe we can all go enjoy Cancun,” Humphrey wrote in a post on X.
There were some other controversial plays during the game, including a pass that Bills safety Cole Bishop appeared to intercept late in the second half. He wrestled for the ball with Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy and appeared to have two hands on the ball, but it was ruled a catch for Worthy.
Bills Speak Out on Play
Bills head coach Sean McDermott publicly disagreed with the call, telling reporters that he believed Allen crossed the line.
“I thought he had it,” McDermott said, via Josh Alper of 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.”
Though the Bills excelled at short runs with Allen during the season, they struggled in the loss to the Chiefs on Sunday and were stopped several times, including a two-point conversion attempt. Allen gave credit to the Chiefs, saying their defensive line stood their ground.
“They got big guys in there,” Allen told the media. “They played it well.”
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Rival Player Claims Officials ‘Robbed’ Bills in Loss to Chiefs