Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills made a statement by defeating Lamar Jackson‘s Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL playoffs. But once again, they failed to get past Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Only three points separated Allen and company from Super Bowl LIX, though some feel that the result would’ve been different had the referees granted a critical first down to the Bills early in the fourth quarter.
One of Jackson’s best teammates, for instance, went as far as suggesting that Buffalo was ‘robbed’ on that play. We’re talking about Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who shared his thoughts on social media.
“They lowkey did rob the Bills from the 4th down conversion. Josh definitely crossed the line,” Humphrey wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), in reference to a quarterback sneak by Allen that turned the ball over to the Chiefs on downs.
The call that affected Allen, Bills against the Chiefs
The play in question took place with 13:01 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Bills, leading 22-21 in the game, faced a fourth-and-one situation at Kansas City’s 41-yard line. Sean McDermott decided to keep the offensive unit on the field to try and get the first down with Allen’s legs.
As the Chiefs defense stopped Allen near the line of scrimmage, the refs considered that the Bills quarterback fell short of yards. After watching a replay, even though the images still looked unclear, the NFL officiating crew stood by its original decision.
It’s safe to say it may have been a game-changing moment, as Mahomes went on to score a rushing touchdown in the following drive, putting the Chiefs in front by 29-22 after a successful two-point conversion pass.
Allen orchestrated a nine-play, 70-yard touchdown drive in the Bills’ next possession to tie the score, but Kansas City responded with the field goal that ended up making the difference at Arrowhead.
McDermott believes Allen got the first down in Kansas City
Speaking to reporters after his team’s loss, McDermott let everyone know that, even though he wasn’t sure about which angles were used in the replay, he thought that Allen got the first down.
“I thought he had it. 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,” McDermott stated.
For many, this call will go down as a big “what if” in the Bills’ season. Either way, it would be unfair to take credit away from the Chiefs. At the end of the day, Mahomes is still unbeaten against Allen in four playoff games. And now he’s chasing a third consecutive Super Bowl win.