Did Josh Allen make the line to gain, or did he come up short?
That’s one of the biggest talking points in the aftermath of the thrilling AFC championship game between the Chiefs and Bills Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium.
Allen and Patrick Mahomes delivered another all-time playoff matchup, however, the result was the same. Mahomes stayed undefeated in the playoffs against his Buffalo counterpart, sending Kansas City to its third consecutive Super Bowl with a 32-29 win in the conference championship.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Bills drove down the field in hopes of extending their 22-21 lead to two possessions. After successfully coming through on a 4th-down play earlier in the drive, Buffalo needed an extra yard once again. The team called upon Allen for a “tush push” play to convert on the 4th-and-1.
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The Bills quarterback was met at the 1st-down marker by a barrage of Chiefs defenders, seemingly getting close to gaining the necessary yardage, but it certainly was close. One official overruled the other on the play, as the call on the field was that he came up short.
The Chiefs’ defense stops them on fourth down!
📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/VwGmEZ3IrW— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2025
ref from the Chiefs sideline (bottom) overrules the ref at the top on the key 4th down pic.twitter.com/Cp1Y6SNS4m
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 27, 2025
After a review, the call stood, causing a turnover on downs.
Kansas City was able to use that momentum and march down the field for a go-ahead touchdown. It was the score needed for the Chiefs to eventually come out on top and advance to the Super Bowl.
Most of the time, the referees will be able to voice their thought process through the NFL referee pool report. The crew chief will talk to reporters after the game and answer any specific questions about controversial calls. However, that wasn’t the case on Sunday night.
Here’s why there was no referee pool report following the AFC championship game.
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Why wasn’t there an NFL referee pool report for Bills vs. Chiefs?
Referee Clete Blakeman did not talk to reporters after the game, according to NBC Sport’s Mike Florio. As a result, there was no officiating pool report for Chiefs-Bills.
Referees are not automatically made available to speak to the media after the contest. At least one reporter covering the game in person must request that the referee answer questions about the officiating. Since no one did in the aftermath of the AFC championship game, there was no pool report — and, therefore, no comment on the controversial 4th-down call on the Bills.
There were plenty that critiqued the call on the field. The CBS broadcast wasn’t so sure that the officials made the right decision. Rule analyst Gene Steratore felt as though Allen “gained it by about a third of the football” and play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz echoed that opinion.
Does Josh Allen do enough to get the 1st down here? pic.twitter.com/7h8Y20qEWM
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) January 27, 2025
The Chiefs go-ahead TD drive was set up by a ruling that Josh Allen did not get a Bills first down.
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Gene Steratore react to the ruling.
“Wow.” – Romo
“I felt like he gained it by about a third of the football…” -Steratore
“I agree.” – Nantz 🏈🦓🎙️ https://t.co/R4Xs0phM0P pic.twitter.com/8xvT1t1rdn
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 27, 2025
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