Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott suffered another painful playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night and, the way he sees it, watched his team get screwed out of a trip to the Super Bowl
The Bills lost Sunday’s AFC Championship Game 32-29 thanks to what many believe was an incorrect call after Josh Allen was deemed not to get across the line after attempting a quarterback sneak on a fourth down.
The Bills quarterback needed a single yard to give his team a fresh set of downs with 13 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. While it certainly appeared that he covered enough ground, the officials ruled him short, with their review later allowing the on-field decision to stand.
CBS rules analyst and former NFL ref Gene Steratore thought Allen did enough to earn the first down.
“I felt like he gained it by about a third of the football, Jim. That was just my take on the play. Tough, tough play,” he said on the broadcast.
"I felt like he gained it." – @GeneSteratore pic.twitter.com/Tfcj2CEzpz
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 27, 2025
Sean McDermott Also Thought Josh Allen Did Enough
McDermott was of a similar mind, saying he thought the QB got past the line.
“I thought he had it,” the head coach said after the loss, per 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.”
The loss of possession proved costly for Buffalo. The Chiefs scored a quick touchdown for the lead after getting the ball and remained in front for the rest of the game as the Bills failed to convert on another fourth-down attempt near the two-minute mark.
Sean McDermott: I thought Josh Allen got a first down on fourth-down sneak. https://t.co/YQqCKqIlrj
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 27, 2025
Andy Reid’s team is returning to the Super Bowl, where they hope to become the first team to win three consecutive championships in modern history.
Standing in their way are the Philadelphia Eagles, who boast the best defense in the league and will have a chip on their shoulder after losing to their upcoming opponents in the 2022/23 Super Bowl.
