Given that so much of the conversation heading into the AFC Championship Game revolved around which teams, and specifically quarterbacks, got beneficial calls, there was always a chance that we’d have some kind of officiating controversy after the game. That said, this is a new one.
With the Buffalo Bills trailing 32-29 and facing a critical fourth down coming out of the two-minute warning, the Kansas City Chiefs blitzed, forcing Josh Allen to scramble to buy time. While Allen threw off balance, his pass got downfield but couldn’t be corraled by tight end Dalton Kincaid, giving the Chiefs a turnover on downs. Or did it?
With Kansas City celebrating and a frustrated Buffalo team walking off of the field, CBS announcer Jim Nantz observed, “There is a flag,” followed shortly by a “Flag” graphic being shown on the screen.
“I didn’t see a flag thrown there,” color analyst Tony Romo said.
“I’m told there’s a flag,” Nantz reiterated.
While this was happening, none of the players on the field appeared to be acting like they normally might in a situation like this. Romo did the same, continuing to analyze the play.
As he was doing that, Nantz could be heard saying, “No flag.”
CBS just made the world think that there was a flag on the Bills’ crucial fourth-down play in the AFC Championship Game. 🏈📺🎙️😬 #NFL pic.twitter.com/cqzODHznGC
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 27, 2025
Romo continued to break the play down. Then, before Kansas City ran its first offensive play of the ensuing series, Nantz attempted to clarify what happened.
“We got the report from the sideline that there had been a flag,” Nantz said. “But there was no flag. There was no penalty at all.”
Of note, Kevin Harlin and Devin McCourty, calling the game for Westwood One on radio, also commented that there was a flag.
“Flag has been thrown,” Harlan said. “And a late flag at that.”
“I think Dion Dawkins took his helmet off,” McCourty replied.
Calling the game on radio, Kevin Harlan and Devin McCourty also said there was a flag.
They speculated that it might have been on Buffalo’s Dion Dawkins for taking his helmet off. https://t.co/CVIgJ0ZmcG pic.twitter.com/GdovouoIgd
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 27, 2025
“And that was the penalty,” Harlan said.
McCourty later noted, I guess they picked the flag up.”
To be fair, as far as officiating controversies go, this wasn’t the biggest of the day — or even the game. We also can’t even say for sure who erred here. It could have been a spotter, someone in the truck or even an official for throwing a flag and picking it up, hoping it would be unnoticed.
But regardless of who’s to blame, whoever made the mistake did it at the exact wrong moment.
