Unlike a lot of people, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook isn’t blaming the officiating for his team’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
Speaking on the “Kickin’ It With Dee” podcast, Cook was asked how he and his team mentally handles the idea of the refs working against them. He responded by lightly rejecting the premise:
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to come in there ready to go. F*** that ref shit. You feel me? Straight up, you got to come in there ready to go, ready to play. Don’t give a ref nothing to call.”
The Chiefs receiving favorable officiating due to their status as the NFL’s top team and their employment of superstar Patrick Mahomes has been a narrative for years, but seems to have hit a fever pitch in recent weeks. Their win over the Bills in the AFC championship game was particularly controversial, most notably when a questionable spot cost them on a fourth down early in the fourth quarter.
There was another questionable call earlier in the game involving a Xavier Worthy catch that appeared to hit the ground. And that was after a divisional round game which had its own issues. Unlike Cook, the Houston Texans had some complaints about that one.
Unsurprisingly, the Chiefs haven’t been particularly apologetic. Linebacker Drue Tranquill tweeted that anyone who wanted to blame the refs for their win could “kick rocks.”
It feels almost inevitable that similar complaints will come out at the first close call of Super Bowl LIX. If anything, Cook’s answer could be seen as a warning to the Philadelphia Eagles: Don’t give a ref nothing to call.
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