Sean McDermott warned his players about not getting favorable calls from refs during AFC Championship Game against Chiefs
The Bills-Chiefs AFC Championship game featured two questionable calls made by the referees that impacted the direction of the game.
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Sean McDermott (Image via IMAGO)
The Buffalo Bills knew the odds were stacked against them in the AFC Championship. History has evidenced that Buffalo cannot leave anything up to chance when they go up against their divisional rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs.
This year, all the teams facing the Chiefs have dreaded going up against them because the referees make the most questionable calls during their games. Buffalo’s Head Coach Sean McDermott had prepared his players to expect the unexpected.
While speaking at his end-of-season press conference, McDermott had a statement similar to the one DeMeco Ryans gave after his team lost in the Divisional Round.
We went into the game and one of my messages to the team, and this happens from time to time, is you’re just going to have to-you’re not going to get calls. We’re not going to get calls. And I think when you prepare a team, you prepare them ahead of time, mentally, for this is the way it’s going down. And you live with that..
Sean McDermott said
His Texans’ counterpart had expressed frustration over playing against the officials and the Chiefs.
Sean McDermott is not blaming the refereeing for Buffalo’s loss
Two key referee decisions stirred up a debate in the AFC Championship game. The first was Josh Allen and the Bills’ attempt to run a quarterback sneak on a 4th & 1 play. Due to the linemen of both teams going at it, the exact spot where the quarterback finished was in question. The referees, however, ruled the play as incomplete and this cost Buffalo a possession.
The next play was Xavier Worthy’s catch, which was ruled complete despite the quarterback struggling to have secured it before it touched the ground. Despite these setbacks, Sean McDermott is not blaming the refereeing for the 29-32 loss.
That’s not the reason why we lost. You start looking at that, you lose sight of all the things, all the adjustments you can make as a team, or as a person, coach, player, what have you to improve who we are and how we do things. So, there’s going to be some of that, and you have to be above that and play above that.
Sean McDermott added
In his eyes, the Bills could have fared better and had room for improvement. In terms of performance, Buffalo was in a position to win the game towards the end.
However, a critical dropped catch by Dalton Kincaid proved to be costly. Josh Allen had time on the clock, but he was unable to make things happen. Despite the unexpected ending, the Bills should be proud of the season they had because not many believed this team was capable of making it this far.
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