Bills GM won't make excuses but still disagrees with refs after talking to NFL

Brandon Beane disagrees with crucial calls made by the referees during Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Buffalo Bills general manager doesn't want to use that as the reason his franchise fell short in the playoffs again.

"It's frustrating," Beane said Thursday, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. "There is only so much that 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."

"I still feel like he got (the fourth-down play). ... Nothing has changed my mind on that."

The Chiefs advanced to their third straight Super Bowl after defeating the Bills 32-29, but multiple calls made by the officials in the game were criticized.

Perhaps the most notable play was Bills quarterback Josh Allen falling short on fourth-and-inches early in the fourth quarter with Buffalo up 22-21. The spot of the ball a play earlier was also questioned.

After recovering the ball, the Chiefs scored a touchdown and two-point convert to take a 29-22 lead with 10:14 left.

Another controversial moment took place in the second quarter when Kansas City receiver Xavier Worthy came away with the ball on a contested catch. The officials ruled it a reception, but the Bills challenged it, alleging that he didn't have full possession while fighting for the ball with safety Cole Bishop.

The ball seemingly didn't move after hitting the ground. Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin was also flagged for defensive holding on the play, so K.C. would've gotten the first down regardless of the refs' decision, but Worthy's third-down reception gained 21 extra yards to set up a TD.

NFL rules state that possession goes to the offense if two players retain the ball after catching it "simultaneously."

"I'm not sure either player had possession on the Bishop-Worthy play when the ball touched the ground," Beane said. "When the ball touches the ground, someone has to have established possession."

He added: "They've given how they see it, and that's their job, but it is what it is. Those are just like plays in a game, too. By no means are we saying that's why we lost the game."

Buffalo is 0-4 in the playoffs in the Allen era against the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs. Beane - who once again doesn't expect the Bills to be big offseason spenders - said he doesn't think exclusively about K.C. when reshaping his roster.

"You can't just build your team for one team," he said, according to ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg.

"Keep kicking the door and you're going to knock it down. "That's my mentality," Beane added, per Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper.