Josh Allen may not have the pedigree of Patrick Mahomes just yet, but the Buffalo Bills quarterback is becoming no stranger to what some fans might call “special attention.”

During the Bills’ Wild Card win over the Denver Broncos, there was one particular moment caught on video which sent social media into a frenzy and drew comparisons between Allen and Mahomes.

Plenty of Chiefs fans posted their opinions and takes on a moment which saw Allen sitting on the sidelines and having a casual conversation with referee Bill Vinovich. It was certainly out of the ordinary, because you don’t typically see a referee come all the way over to a sideline to visit with a player on the bench.

There were countless takes along the lines of, “if that was Patrick Mahomes, everyone would riot.”

That’s a fair assessment. It’s probably pretty accurate, especially considering the Chiefs have seemingly come out on the positive end of many late-game calls or no-calls in recent memory. But, that’s besides the point.

Why was Josh Allen talking to a referee on the sideline during the Bills’ Wild Card game?

After the game, Allen was asked about the moment between he and Vinovich. When asked what the ref told him, Allen simply replied:

“Don’t be yelling.”

This conversation between Allen and Vinovich came after a situation where defensive holding or pass interference could have been called during a play where the quarterback targeted tight end Dalton Kincaid in the end zone.

More Bills news:

Broncos defensive back Patrick Surtain was seen holding Kincaid on a play prior to the Bills having to settle for a field goal. If Surtain had been called for the penalty, the ball would have been placed on the 1-yard line and Buffalo likely scores a touchdown.

After the no-call, Allen was visibly upset and voiced his opinion on the lack of a penalty, which is precisely why he was given a little talking-to courtesy of the referee.

You could say Allen was given a bit of grace, here, when he could’ve been called for unsportsmanlike conduct if the referee wanted to be petty.

You could also say Allen was given the star treatment. Roll with whichever explanation you’d like, but it won’t change the fact that Buffalo stomped Denver in this game. The Bills may have settled for a field goal on that drive, but the final score of 31-7 tells the big picture story.