McDermott Addresses Ref's Josh Allen Spot, Replay Ruling After Bills' Loss to Chiefs

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott gave his thoughts on a close fourth-down conversion attempt by Josh Allen that failed during his team's 32-29 defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

"I thought he had it," McDermott said, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "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."

With roughly 13 minutes left in regulation, Allen attempted to move the chains on the ground with one yard to gain on fourth down. He was ruled short, with the play getting reviewed and the call on the field standing.

CBS Sports rules analyst and former NFL referee Gene Steratore said that he felt like Allen did enough to move the chains on the broadcast.

It was a costly turnover on downs for the Bills, as they held a one-point advantage at the time and were close to entering field-goal range to potentially extend their lead.

The Chiefs quickly scored a touchdown after getting the ball back, and Buffalo wouldn't re-take the lead for the remainder of the contest before eventually failing to convert another fourth-down opportunity with two minutes left in the game.

Allen finished 22-of-34 for 237 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception, getting sacked twice. He also picked up 39 rush yards on 11 attempts.

The Bills have now fallen to the Chiefs during each of their four playoff meetings since 2020, with three of the postseason defeats containing a one-possession final margin.

Following another hard-fought loss to Kansas City on Sunday, McDermott believed that Allen picked up a first down on a key fourth-quarter drive that ultimately stalled.