CBS appeared to hand the Buffalo Bills – and tight end Dalton Kincaid in particular – an accidental lifeline during their AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
The Bills’ Super Bowl hopes slipped away on their final offensive snap of the blockbuster 32-29 matchup when a pass from Josh Allen sailed through the hands of Kincaid.
The pass on fourth down – and the Bills’ chance to tie the game – was ruled incomplete, yet a blunder from CBS and play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz got Buffalo fans’ hopes up.
In the aftermath of the play, Nantz said that there had been a flag thrown with the network adding a yellow flag graphic to its score bug.
‘I didn’t see a flag thrown there,’ analyst Tony Romo said.
‘I’m told there’s a flag,’ Nantz replied, before later adding ‘no flag’ after his co-commentator dissected the Chiefs’ blitz package – orchestrated by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo – on Allen on the fourth down.
CBS’s scorebug accidentally showed a flag graphic on the Buffalo Bills’ final play
Josh Allen’s pass on fourth down slid through Dalton Kincaid’s hands in AFC Championship
As Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense then lined up for what would be the possession that sealed their victory, Nantz clarified that their hadn’t been a flag thrown on the Bills’ previous play.
The veteran announcer reiterated that a flag hadn’t been picked up nor had one been thrown in the first place.
‘We had a report from the sideline that there had been a flag,’ Nantz said, ‘but there was no flag. There was no penalty at all.’
Ultimately, the flag graphic proved to be an excruciating tease for Bills fans watching from home, rounding off yet another agonizing playoff defeat to the Chiefs for Buffalo.
As Allen backpedaled to avoid the pressure from the Chiefs Blitz on fourth down on the Bills’ final drive, he heaved up a prayer of the pass in the direction of tight end Kincaid.
Allen’s throw was perfect and sailed right in the direction of his receiver. But Kincaid, the second-year tight end out of Utah , had the ball sail right through his arms and hit the turf to fall incomplete.
The Kansas City Chiefs went on to seal their spot in the Super Bowl for a third straight year
That turned the ball over to Kansas City and within just a few plays, they were kneeling out the clock to reach their third-straight Super Bowl.
After the game, Kincaid told reporters, ‘I mean, it’s football. Josh made a hell of an attempt just to get the ball up there. Just sucks a lot, not being able to bring it down. Just hurts a lot.’
Kincaid’s drop means that the Buffalo Bills have lost their fourth straight playoff game against the Chiefs – furthering their misery against the best AFC team of the decade.
It’s their second loss in the AFC title game in that same span – losing their last one in 2020, also to Kansas City.
