Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III offered a fascinating hot take about the 2024 AFC Championship Game: That Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen should receive some blame for Dalton Kincaid’s drop that essentially sealed the game.
The Bills were trailing the Kansas City Chiefs 32-29 at the two-minute warning, needing to convert a 4th-and-5 situation to keep the drive alive. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up an an all-out blitz, forcing Josh Allen to throw a desperate heave to Kincaid.
Kincaid somehow got behind the Kansas City defense but failed to make the catch, and the Bills turned it over on downs. The Chiefs melted the clock to clinch their third straight AFC Championship banner:
The Chiefs make the stop on fourth down!
— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2025
📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/s4rXNURB3z
Speaking on Kay Adams’ “Up and Adams” program, Robert Griffin III opined that Josh Allen should be blamed for that failed fourth-down play, rather than the man who let the ball slip through his hands. Not only that, but RG3 suggested that the media has “a fear” of criticizing Buffalo’s superstar quarterback:
“No one has pointed this out…I’ve watched the tape back multiple times, Josh Allen could have actually adjusted the protection and got that blitz picked up. But no one is talking about that because I think there’s a fear right now amongst the media to criticize Josh Allen because he’s been so great. And I do think Josh Allen is a great quarterback.
But they’re in an empty formation, they motion Khalil Shakir into the backfield and have him run that bubble, If Josh Allen simply, I don’t know what they call it, but it’s an R/L call and it borrows the backside guard and takes them to the right. They would have been able to pick up the blitz and he would have had an opportunity to hit Dalton Kincaid for a massive gain with the entire play opened up.”
.@RGIII on Dalton Kincaid's near-catch on 4th & 5 late in the fourth quarter… 🔊
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) January 27, 2025
"Josh Allen actually could've ADJUSTED the protection and got that blitz picked up… That to me was a bigger issue than Kincaid dropping the ball." @heykayadams @BuffaloBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/yvugNiRnpK
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Regardless of who you want to blame on the failed Allen-Kincaid connection there, the fact remains that the Bills could have done plenty of things differently.
Sean McDermott’s usually-stingy defense once failed to show up in a pivotal a playoff game. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady inexplicably took the ball out of James Cook’s hands in the fourth quarter. The Bills’ o-line could have held up better, too, especially in short-yardage situations.
A Long Offseason Lies Ahead For Josh Allen & Bills
For the fifth straight year, the Bills won the AFC East division crown with 11-plus wins. They looked like a Super Bowl contender every single year, and yet there isn’t a single Super Bowl appearance to show for it.
As such, yet another long offseason lies ahead in Orchard Park. The Bills know they have the talent and ability to beat the Chiefs and win a Super Bowl. But at the same time, what more can they do to actually make fantasy a reality?
