NFL world slams referees for questionable 4th down turnover decision on Josh Allen and Bills - "Absolutely horrible" 

The Bills have had many a heartbreak against the Chiefs in the playoffs in recent years with the narrative taking hold that Josh Allen chokes in clutch games against Patrick Mahomes. The AFC Championship game in 2025 was just the latest iteration of that rivalry and both quarterbacks were playing well as the game went down to the wire.

But with Buffalo leading, the referees gave a call in Kansas City's favor that had people fuming. On a fourth-and-one, Josh Allen kept the ball and sneaked for what seemed to be a first down. One official thought the chains should be moved but another umpire from the sideline overruled him. It gave the Chiefs the ball on downs and they drove down the field to get a 29-22 lead having been a point down before that.

It did not go down well with NFL observers with people chiming in about how the Bills were hard done by the referees. Dan Orlvosky, Kurt Benkert, Will Compton, and others slammed the decision on X/Twitter, and here are some of the reactions.

The responses continued with most feeling that the officials were favoring Kansas City. Here are some more reactions from the social media platform.

"The competitive integrity of the game is completely compromised... And it takes away from the fact that Mahomes is making really good plays tonight." - said Kurt Benkert.

"I mean… it looks like he had it." - noted Henry McKenna.

"This is so disgusting I can’t even handle it." - added Dave Portnoy.

Shannon Sharpe disagrees with his compatriots on Josh Allen's first down for the Bills vs. Chiefs

While most observers thought that Josh Allen and the Bills deserved a first down, one person who was more ambivalent was Shannon Sharpe. The Hall-of-Fame tight end and Super Bowl winner simply said that he was astounded that Buffalo did not get it and was okay with Kansas City retaking the football on downs.

"Chiefs have (the football). Clearly I’m not (wrong)" - said Shannon Sharpe.

It showed why the referees have such a difficult job. These decisions are incredibly difficult in a game of inches. It is why the NFL is trialing Hawk Eye technology which uses computer tools to determine if a team has reached the first down instead of relying on chains and officials' observations. It is something sports like tennis and soccer already use and maybe this game will hasten the change.