Bills GM Brandon Beane discusses controversial 4th-down play in AFC title game: 'He got that'
2025-01-31
Category: sports

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane heard what the league office had to say, but he still believes his quarterback picked up a crucial first down in the AFC Championship. The Bills were crushed by the Kansas City Chiefs once again in the playoffs, falling just short of a Super Bowl appearance in a 32-29 loss on the road this past Sunday.&nbsp; One of the most controversial plays from the game was a fourth-and-inches quarterback sneak by Josh Allen. In real-time, it appeared that he made the gain, but referees called him short, forcing a turnover on downs to the Chiefs.&nbsp; SIGN UP FOR TUBI AND STREAM SUPER BOWL LIX FOR FREE  Five plays later, Patrick Mahomes rushed into the end zone for his second rushing score of the game to take a seven-point lead after a two-point conversion. Other than the controversial spot, the play prior, where Dalton Kincaid appeared to pick up the first down, is just as questionable. And replay shows a Chiefs player was lined up in the neutral zone when Allen took the snap on the sneak attempt, which should’ve been flagged for a first down.&nbsp; Beane discussed that particular sequence of events on Thursday.&nbsp; CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM "It’s frustrating," he said, per SI.com. "There’s only so much I can say. We work with the league to try to get clarity. I’ll give them credit. They’ve taken our calls. They’ve sent video and things like that. If you’re talking about like the fourth-down play, I feel like [Allen] got that. I still feel like he got that. I felt that in the moment and nothing has changed my mind on that." Earlier in the game, a crucial replay review confirmed a catch by Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy, and it also bothered Beane. Defensive back Cole Bishop went up with Worthy for an interception, and it appeared both of them had their hands around the ball as the tip of the pigskin hit the ground.&nbsp;  Like the later play, it resulted in a Chiefs touchdown as Mahomes scampered into the end zone. "The play that we challenged was a good challenge," he explained. "I’m not sure either player had possession on the Bishop-Worthy play when the ball touched the ground." Some fans have accused referees of favoring the Chiefs during this Super Bowl run, with another controversial call coming in the divisional round against the Houston Texans.&nbsp; Will Anderson Jr. was called for a personal foul, a 15-yard penalty, for a hit to the head on Mahomes despite replay showing that wasn’t the case. Nonetheless, the third-and-long that wasn’t converted on an overthrown pass gave the Chiefs more life on their drive.&nbsp;  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Officiating will be a storyline heading into this matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, especially after fans believed their previous Super Bowl meeting two seasons ago ended controversially after James Bradberry was called for holding JuJu Smith-Schuster.&nbsp;  The penalty set up Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal to start this streak for the Chiefs.&nbsp; Kickoff will be at 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox and streaming exclusively on Tubi.&nbsp; Follow Fox News Digital’s&nbsp;sports coverage on X, and subscribe to&nbsp;the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.