Angry NFL fans want the league to conduct an investigation on the referees who were assigned the Kansas City Chiefs–Buffalo Bills AFC Championship Game on Sunday
Veteran referee Clete Blakeman and his crew called the highly-anticipated AFC Championship Game between the two NFL juggernauts. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs held on for a tight 32-29 victory to reach their fifth Super Bowl in five years while sending Josh Allen and company home emptyhanded.
The game, predictably, was not without controversy. For one, the refs called this a catch by Chiefs wideout Xavier Worthy when some thought it a) should have been called an interception by Bills safety Bill Bishop, or b) an incomplete pass since the ball appeared to hit the ground:
Even though this ball hit the ground and neither player had complete possession the refs rule that this was a catch by Xavier Worthy. pic.twitter.com/VuCbWzA6tH
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) January 27, 2025
Secondly, Josh Allen was called short of a first down on a 4th-and-inches quarterback sneak in the final frame with his team up one point. Officials reviewed it and said he was still short, and the Chiefs went down for the go-ahead score and wouldn’t trail again.
🚨TRENDING: Not only are fans saying it’s OBVIOUS Josh Allen converted this first down…
But it looks like the Chiefs were lined up in the neutral zone BEFORE the ball was snapped..
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/hN1RXTX8XO
— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) January 27, 2025
Some NFL fans are so infuriated with the performance of the officials that they started an online petition at Change.org, calling for the league to investigate the refs in the Bills-Chiefs AFC Championship Game:
WILD: #NFL fans have started a petition to have the league investigate the officiating of #Chiefs games.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 27, 2025
History suggests that the officials won’t be reprimanded by the league in any way, shape or form. Remember, all the league did to address the 2018 NOLA No-Call controversy was make pass interference calls and non-calls reviewable for one year before quickly scrapping it.
Bills Still Had Their Chances To Win AFC Championship Game
It’s easy to blame the officials here, but let’s not let the Bills off the hook. Their defense was non-existent for most of the game, and offensive coordinator Joe Brady curiously stopped using star running back James Cook in the fourth quarter with the game on the line.
Dalton Kincaid also had a chance to keep the season alive with a beautiful throw from Josh Allen, but the would-be catch fell through his hands. If he caught that, we wouldn’t be hearing so much about the officials.
