Buffalo Bills HC Sean McDermott Says He Warned His Players That Refs Could Rig Calls For Chiefs Before AFC Championship Game

Sean McDermott (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott has revealed he warned his team to be wary of the referees during Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bills won’t live down their loss to the defending champions anytime soon, given the controversial manner in which the tides were turned.

McDermott, who previously indicated he felt Josh Allen got that critical first down he was denied in the fourth quarter, held his official end-of-season press conference on Thursday in which he claimed he knew his team would be up against it where officiating was concerned.

The head coach told reporters he told his team to be prepared not to get calls.

“We went into the game and one of my messages to the team, and this happens from time to time, is you’re going to have to — ,” he said, per ProFootballTalk. “We’re not going to get calls. And I think just when you prepare a team, you prepare them ahead of time, mentally, for this is the way it’s going down. And you live with that.”

Sean McDermott Didn’t Blame The Loss On The Referees

Still, McDermott refused to blame the referees for the loss, claiming the controversial calls weren’t the reason the Bills failed to pick up what would have been a monumental win.

“That’s not the reason why we lost,” he continued. “You start looking at that, you lose sight of all the things, all the adjustments you can make as a team, or as a person, coach, player, what have you to improve who we are and how we do things.”

The Bills did have an opportunity to march down the field and win the game as they had possession while down just three at a crucial period late in the fourth quarter. They will rue not making the most of it.

Meanwhile, several petitions are circulating, calling on the NFL to investigate the referees’ decisions during Sunday’s game. Many fans have said that they will boycott the Super Bowl, while others are claiming to be done with football outright.