After the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 32-29 and advanced to the Super Bowl for the third straight season, Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill did not want to hear about the referees helping the Chiefs win.
Following the win, Tranquill took to X and told people bringing up the "ref talk" to "kick rocks."
"Shoutout to the Buffalo Bills ... heck of a battle," Tranquill wrote on X. "The rest of y’all can take all that “ref” talk & kick rocks. We stand on business."
Shoutout to the @BuffaloBills .. heck of a battle.
— Drue Tranquill (@DTranquill) January 27, 2025
The rest of y’all can take all that “ref” talk & kick rocks. We stand on business‼️
As the Chiefs have emerged as a dominant franchise, they have also come under scrutiny, with many people believing that important calls by referees go their way during games. This became amplified in the divisional round of the playoffs when multiple Houston Texans defenders were called for controversial personal foul penalties on Patrick Mahomes.
This narrative continued Sunday when the referees ruled that the Bills did not successfully convert a 4th-and-1 attempt. Josh Allen appeared to come right to the line needed to secure a first down, but the referees ruled that he was short and the Bills turned the ball over on downs. The Chiefs subsequently took over the football with good field position, and went on to score a touchdown.
That sequence was critical in the outcome of the game. Not only did the Chiefs score a touchdown, but it cost the Bills an opportunity to score a field goal or touchdown of their own and increase their lead. CBS commentators Tony Romo and Jim Nantz, along with rules analyst Gene Steratore, all disagreed with the referees and believed that Allen successfully recorded a first down. Bills head coach Sean McDermott also believed Allen had the first down.
Though the call affected the game, the Bills still had a chance to drive down the field and score a potential game-tying field goal or game-winning touchdown, and were unable to do so. Fair or not, the Chiefs won the game and will play in the Super Bowl once again.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chiefs LB Had Blunt Response to People Crediting Refs For Win Over Bills.
