The Buffalo Bills suffered a 32-29 loss at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship, and once again, the officiating in this game was the subject of a lot of chatter among fans. In the wake of the loss, star running back James Cook made his thoughts clear as day on the complaints about the referees in this game.
Cook was arguably the Bills best player against the Chiefs, as he racked up 85 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, in addition to another 49 yards on three catches through the air. His strong play wasn’t enough to get Buffalo over the hump, though, as they lost to Kansas City in the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five years.
In the latest edition of this one-sided rivalry, there were several controversial calls made by the referees that went against the Bills. Cook isn’t part of the contingent that believes that’s a valid excuse for Buffalo’s loss, as he fought back against the notion when discussing the officiating in this contest.
“At the end of the day, as a man, you gotta come in there ready to go,” Cook said on “Kickin It With Dee.” “(Expletive) that ref (expletive), straight up. You gotta come in that (expletive) ready to go, ready to play. Don’t give a ref nothing to call.
The most controversial call in this game saw Bills quarterback Josh Allen get ruled short of the line to gain on fourth-and-one early in the fourth quarter, despite it appearing he crossed the first-down marker. The referees looked at the replay and upheld the call on the field, much to the chagrin of Buffalo and their fans.
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook
© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
While the Bills may disagree with that call, Cook notes it’s not what lost them the game, as they still had ample opportunities to come out on top. Now, Buffalo will have to head back to the drawing board and figure out how to improve for the 2025 campaign so that they can avoid suffering a similar fate again next year.
