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    ‘You Have To Play Above It’ – Bills Head Coach Reveals Message to Team Regarding Officiating Ahead of AFCCG

    Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott gave a brutally honest answer about officiating in the AFC Championship Game, a 32-29 loss to Kansas City.

    The Buffalo Bills are saying all the right things when reflecting on their recent loss in the AFC Championship Game, refusing to blame the referees for an unfair advantage.

    There is a narrative floating out in the ether that the NFL has been “scripting” games for the Kansas City Chiefs as they look to capture the first “three-peat” in league history. Conspiracy theories have been running wild throughout the playoffs, with Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans stoking the flames: “We knew going into this game, man, it was us versus everybody.”

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    Sean McDermott Addresses Uneven Penalty Calls After Chiefs Beat Bills

    Bills head coach Sean McDermott attempted to walk the very thin line between outright complaining and living with the result. The biggest call in question during his team’s 32-29 loss to the Chiefs was a crucial fourth-down sneak by Josh Allen that was ruled short of the sticks.

    Did he get it or did he not? The All-22 sideline view seemed to show he did.

    Either way, the referees called it short and Kansas City took over on downs with 13:01 showing on the clock in the fourth quarter. Five plays later, Patrick Mahomes marched the Chiefs down the field for a touchdown that put them up 29-22.

    That singular play wasn’t the deciding score, but it certainly altered the complexion of a tight contest. Obviously, it was a talking point for conspiracy theorists.

    The Bills finished the AFC Championship Game with six total penalties for 48 yards. The Chiefs had five penalties for 21 yards. McDermott commented on the officiating during his end-of-year press conference on Jan. 30, telling reporters (via NBC Sports): “And you live with that. That’s not the reason why we lost.”

    McDermott mainly took the high road, although his full comments hinted at discord and skepticism at the overall officiating in the AFC Championship Game.

    “We’re not going to get calls,” McDermott said. “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 able to be above that and play above that.”

    Texans Coach DeMeco Ryans Pulled No Punches

    Ryans was a little more direct in his criticism of the refs following the Texans’ 23-14 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round.

    Two calls specifically irked Ryans — a late-hit call on linebacker Henry To’oTo’o and a roughing the passer flag on defensive end Will Anderson.

    Those two penalties extended Chiefs’ drives and, eventually, resulted in 10 points for Kansas City.

    “We knew going into this game, man, it was us versus everybody,” Ryans said, via Pro Football Talk. “When I say everybody, I mean everybody. The naysayers, the doubt. Everybody we had to go against again today. Going into this game knowing what we were up against, we can’t make the mistakes we made. We had a lot of self-inflicted mistakes.”

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