The refs might have cost the Bills their Super Bowl chances with several late-game calls.
First, late in the fourth quarter during the Bill’s heartbreaking 33-30 loss to the Broncos on Saturday night in the AFC divisional round, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen threw an incomplete pass to wide receiver Brandin Cooks in the end zone.
Upon looking at the replay it appears that Denver cornerback Riley Moss got a hold of Cooks’ arm and jersey while fighting for the ball, which should constitute a pass interference call from the officials — but no flag was called on the play.
If officials did choose to call pass interference, the Bills would have likely had the ball placed at the 1-yard line with just 19 seconds left in regulation while being down by just three points.
Instead, Buffalo was forced to kick a field goal, tying the game at 30 apiece and sending the game to overtime.
To make matters worse for the Bills, during overtime, referees called a controversial interception for Buffalo, which again involved Cooks.
While trying to catch a pass from Allen during the Bills’ first drive in overtime, Cooks had the ball ripped from his hands by cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian — but many believed that the wideout was already down before McMillian gained possession.
During the game’s final drive, the Bills might have gotten shafted by officials again with a late flag call citing pass interference from cornerback Tre’Davious White, which moved the Broncos to Buffalo’s 11-yard line.
With the next score deciding the game, Denver kicked a 23-yard field goal to end the Bills’ season, with multiple people around the football world citing a poor officiating performance.
“53 yards in penalties on an OT drive in the playoffs,” ESPN analyst and former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky posted on X. “That’s just bad officiating.”
Allen had a respectable performance despite the loss, throwing for 283 yards — while completing 25-of-39 passes — with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Following the game, Allen was visibly emotional when talking to reporters, saying he loves his teammates while also apologizing for the loss.
“I haven’t been doing a lot of talking other than them, I love my teammates and I’m extremely sorry,” Allen said during his postgame press conference.
“I’m disappointed, I would say,” he added.