Everyone and their grandmother has an opinion on the Kansas City Chiefs’ AFC championship win over the Buffalo Bills last weekend. Plenty of NFL fans have already expressed their grievances on social media over the Chiefs seemingly getting preferential treatment from the refs this postseason, but those angry key-pushers may want to hear what a player from the game has to say about it.
Bills running back James Cook joined the Kickin’ It With Dee podcast this week and was asked how he and his teammates were dealing with the fallout from the officiating controversy.
Cook responded with a blunt, NSFW answer in which he made no excuses for the Bills’ loss.
“I’m going to give you the most realest answer I can ever give you, bro,” Cook said. “At the end of the day, bro, as a man you got to come in there ready to go. F--- that ref s---. You feel me? Like, straight up. You gotta come in that b---- ready to go, ready to play. Don’t give a ref nothing to call.”
“F**k that ref sh*t” 😤#Bills’ RB James Cook gave the realest answer when asked about the referee’s cheating for the #Chiefs.
— Kickin It With Dee (@KickinItWithDee) January 30, 2025
( @BuffaloFAMbase / @jasrifootball ) pic.twitter.com/snhH1UwfTN
The biggest game-changing play from the AFC title contest came in the fourth quarter when the refs ruled that Josh Allen failed to reach the first-down marker on a fourth-and-short tush push attempt. On the play prior, too, the refs also gave the Bills a questionable spot on third down.
The Chiefs would go on to win 32-29 and book their fifth trip to the Super Bowl in the last six years as Kansas City’s dynasty continues to eclipse the greatness of Allen and the Bills, who were crowned AFC East winners for the fifth straight time with a 13-4 record in 2024.
However, Cook adamantly refused to blame the Bills’ latest playoff elimination on the refs, and seemed to suggest his team should have done better against the defending Super Bowl champs.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bills’ James Cook Had Blunt Take on Chiefs-Refs Narrative in AFC Title Loss.
