Buffalo Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones has seen plenty of rough play in the trenches, so he’s become keenly aware of what holding looks like and when it does — or doesn’t — get called.
Jones spotted a disparity on Christmas Day, taking to social media to criticize officials on a call that benefitted the Kansas City Chiefs in their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Though the call didn’t matter much in the end, the game ended up having a big impact on the Bills and their playoff seeding.
DaQuan Jones Upset About Controversial Call
The Chiefs jumped out to a 13-0 lead in their game on Christmas, but the Steelers were looking to strike back and driving into the red zone. They appeared to cut into the lead on a Jaylen Warren touchdown, but it was called back after a holding call on tight end Darnell Washington.
The penalty ended up having a big impact, with Russell Wilson throwing an interception on the following play. Many questioned the call, including Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.
“They never call that hold,” Jones shared in a post on X.
The call didn’t have much impact on the game, with the Chiefs dominating en route to a 29-10 victory.
There has been controversy surrounding the Chiefs this season, including a Week 2 pass interference call that helped set up a game-winning field goal against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Chiefs Win Clinches Top Seed
The win on Christmas moved the Chiefs to 15-1 and sealed their place as the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC for the playoffs. That will allow the team the chance to sit quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other starters in the season finale if they choose, while also taking some pressure off the Bills.
Going into Wednesday’s game, the Bills needed to win both games and have the Chiefs lose both of their remaining games to give Buffalo the chance to clinch the No. 1 seed. The Bills clinched the AFC East in early December and are now close to locked into the No. 2 spot, needing just one win in their remaining two games or one more loss from the Baltimore Ravens to lock up that spot.
The Bills face the New York Jets on Sunday, a game that could have meaning beyond the playoff standings. After a shaky game in last week’s win over the New England Patriots, quarterback Josh Allen is in a closer race for MVP. Though Allen seized the frontrunner status in the race, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson pulled closer with a strong performance in his team’s Christmas Day win over the Houston Texans.
USA Today’s Safid Deen wrote that Allen is still in the lead despite one shaky performance.
“Allen may have been subpar against New England, but it’s hard to forget what Allen has accomplished this season: He led the Bills to wins over the teams with the best records in the NFL – the Chiefs and Lions,” Deen wrote. “He became the first player in NFL history to throw three touchdowns and score three rushing touchdowns in a game. And the Bills clinched the AFC East on Dec. 1.”
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