Josh Allen's heartbreaking reaction to Bills playoff loss says it all

The Buffalo Bills feel robbed after watching their season implode in Denver with multiple controversial officiating calls going against them in overtime following Josh Allen’s second interception, a controversial play in its own right.

Allen was responsible for four of the team’s five turnovers against the Denver Broncos. Denver scored 16 points off turnovers in the game, while Buffalo didn’t get any off their lone takeaway, as it was immediately followed up by Allen’s first pick.

A dejected Allen, who has seen his season end in heartbreak in each of the past seven seasons, held back tears as he addressed reporters at his post-game press conference.

Josh Allen’s response reflects the weight of another sour ending for the Buffalo Bills

“It’s extremely difficult,” Allen said. “Feel like I, yeah, feel like I let my teammates down tonight.”

“It’s been a long season. I hate how it ended. And it’s gonna stick with me for a long time.”

Allen was asked about the controversial officiating late in the game, and didn’t discount it’s influence on the final outcome.

“Yeah, I mean, losing that way, regardless, losing in the playoffs is not fun, so.”

Allen also said he didn’t get an explanation on the overtime interception intended for Brandin Cooks. CBS Rules Analyst Gene Steratore said that, as he saw it, Cooks lost control of the ball on the way to the ground, allowing Ja'Quan McMillian to come away with the pick.

Still, the controversies don’t discount the sickening feeling that comes from burying your mistakes in the first half, facing chaos on the first play of the second half, and still finding a way to force overtime only to lose in such a fashion.

“Again, we were battle-tested, battle-tested all year. Down two scores at halftime, come out, sack-fumble, hold ‘em to three. Find ourselves leading that game, and if one or two plays go our way, it’s a different story,” Allen said.

Allen is now 0-7 in overtime games and 0-3 in overtime postseason games. But the recurring theme in many of those games has been the outcome coming without his influence. This one wasn’t much different, as he layered in the deep shot to Cooks in a way where he could haul it in, but the veteran who had built up such trust in recent weeks, couldn’t clutch it, and lost the ball. 

Allen has seen his defense lose control of the game late in these situations, too, so the sting comes to affect old wounds.

It’ll take a while for Bills Mafia, as well as their star quarterback, to digest this latest postseason loss after such a tumultuous season.