As speculation continues to swirl about the Chiefs and favorable calls they might get from referees, Bills running back James Cook resisted an opportunity to only fuel the debate.
During an appearance on the “Kickin It With Dee” podcast this week, Cook was asked if he’s thinking about the referees in the middle of the game — or if it’s something that doesn’t become clear until postgame.
“At the end of the day, as a man, you got to come in there and ready to go,” Cook said. “Like f–k that ref s–t. You feel me? Like straight up. You gotta come into that b—h ready to go, ready to play. Don’t give a ref nothing to call.”
a podcast appearance. Screengrab via X/@SleeperNFL
After Cook and the Bills lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game Sunday, controversial plays benefiting Kansas City were dissected and the officiating crew received plenty of criticism over the apparent missed calls.
One occurred early in the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-1, with the Bills leading by a point and in Kansas City territory, when quarterback Josh Allen was stopped short of the first down — and the call was upheld after review.
Based on certain camera angles, though, it appeared that the MVP finalist might’ve actually picked up the one yard the Bills needed, and even days later, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane was convinced Allen had picked up enough for the first down.
“It’s frustrating, there’s only so much I can say. We work with the league to try to get clarity and I’ll give them credit, they’ve taken our calls, they’ve sent video and things like that,” Beane said. “If you’re talking about like the fourth-down play, I feel like he [Allen] got that. I still feel like he got that, I felt that in the moment and nothing has changed my mind on that.”
Cook, though, opted to voice a different opinion.
The third-year back tied O.J. Simpson’s single-season record for rushing touchdowns with 16 in 2024 while collecting 1,009 yards on the ground and arguably becoming the Bills’ most dynamic playmaker on offense outside of Allen.
He collected 134 total yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game, but the Bills opted to keep him on the sideline in favor of pass-catching back Ty Johnson — which they normally do in those situations — during their final drive that fell short.
But in the aftermath of more heartbreak, though, Cook wasn’t ready to blame the refs.
