ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) — Bills quarterback Josh Allen has extended his grace in victory over Chiefs counterpart Patrick Mahomes, seeming to take no offense to Sunday's colorful complaint about the officiating when the NFL stars met at midfield following Buffalo's 20-17 win in Kansas City.
Mahomes publicly apologized to Allen twice this week, and Allen on Wednesday said the quarterbacks also had a private conversation.
“He reached out to me," Allen said after the Bills held a walk-through practice in preparation for this week's home game against the Cowboys. "I’m just like, ‘It’s football; it’s a game of emotion.’ I know he didn’t mean anything by it. I know the cameras kind of caught the last few seconds of what we were talking about. He’s an ultimate competitor. He wants to win. That’s why he is who he is.”
Mahomes profane criticism of an offsides penalty called on Chiefs receiver Kadarius Toney that negated a late go-ahead touchdown was captured by WROC-TV sports director Thad Brown.
Coach Andy Reid and other Kansas City players joined Mahomes in criticizing the referees when speaking to the media postgame. In a radio interview on Monday, the Chiefs quarterback softened his stance on the officiating errors, while adding "more than anything I regretted how I acted toward Josh after the game. He had nothing to do with it."
“Definitely emotion talking when I was talking to Josh at midfield,” Mahomes elaborated on Wednesday when meeting the media in Kansas City. “To lose the football game, a tough football game, in a tough way ... But I let it go on too long. He had nothing to do with it. Just show better sportsmanship and tell him great game and kind of keep it moving.”
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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.
