Kansas City Chiefs Benefit from Controversial Call in AFC Championship Game
The Kansas City Chiefs benefitted from a controversial catch call that helped them secure a lead against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship, amid allegations of referee favoritism.
The Kansas City Chiefs received a favorable call late in the first half of the AFC Championship against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
On 3rd-and-5 with 3:13 left in the second quarter, Patrick Mahomes scrambled and found just enough space to throw a pass to Xavier Worthy. The rookie wide receiver and Bills safety Cole Bishop both leaped for the ball. It appeared Bishop may have gotten the ball while he was in the air, but Worthy managed to secure it as they came down to the ground.
The officials ruled that Worthy had made the catch, giving the Chiefs possession instead of an interception for the Bills. Buffalo was also called for a holding penalty, making it unlikely the ball would have reverted to them.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott challenged the completion. The replay seemed to indicate the tip of the football hit the ground, yet the play was still ruled a catch.
A few plays later, the Chiefs capitalized with a touchdown run by Patrick Mahomes, bringing the score to 21-10 in favor of Kansas City.
NFL fans quickly pointed out that this controversial call favored the Chiefs, adding to the narrative of NFL officials' perceived favoritism toward them.
Mahomes addressed the alleged favoritism earlier in the week, stating, "I don't feel that way... I just try to play football at the end of the day. The referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and proper as best they can."
He emphasized, "For me, it's go out there, play hard, try to do whatever I can to win the football game and then live with the results based on my effort and how I play the game, and that's what we preach here in Kansas City."
