NFL fans claim they have uncovered intriguing details about down judge Patrick Holt after he controversially denied Josh Allen a first down in the Bills’ defeat to the Chiefs.
Early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s AFC Championship game, Allen tried sneaking up the middle on a Buffalo tush-push to secure what would have been a crucial fourth-and-inches conversion with his team clinging onto a one-point lead.
Yet to the dismay of CBS commentators and fans watching at home, Holt ruled the Bills quarterback short of the first down, a decision which allowed the Chiefs to regain possession.
The controversial call sparked outrage on Sunday night, with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy accusing NFL officials of ‘cheating’, while CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore said he felt Allen had made the first down by ‘a third of the football’.
After getting the ball back, Kansas City went on to snatch a 32-29 win and advance to their third straight Super Bowl, yet Holt’s ruling on Allen did little to dispel fears that the 2024 season is being ‘rigged’ in favor of Patrick Mahomes and Co.
One user on X claims the NFL official has family ties in Kansas City and is a die-hard fan of the Baltimore Ravens – the team Buffalo dumped out in the Divisional round of the playoffs.
Internet sleuths have uncovered fishy details about NFL down judge Patrick Holt (right) after he controversially denied Josh Allen a first down (left) in the Bills’ defeat to the Chiefs
One of Holt’s old Facebook posts suggests he has family connections in Kansas City
A number of Holt’s old posts on Facebook were unearthed by @tailgate_beers, such as a group photo from April 2015 which includes the caption: ‘Family comes to MD on Good Friday!!!!! Representing Kansas City, Charlotte, and Fayetteville.’
Holt, who is from Maryland, has also boasted about his love for the Ravens on frequent occasions on Facebook.
One post from January 2010 shows the down judge wearing a beanie hat with the team’s logo emblazoned across the front, along with the caption: ‘Fear the Purple & Black!’
He also shared a meme in January 2011 mocking the Pittsburgh Steelers, which included a series of insults about Baltimore’s rivals.
The Bills ended the Ravens’ Super Bowl hopes earlier this month in Buffalo, where Lamar Jackson was unable to inspire Baltimore to another AFC Championship game after being outplayed by opposite-number Allen.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the NFL for comment.
The Chiefs, who will become the first team in history to win three straight Super Bowls if they beat the Philadelphia Eagles on February 9, have benefited from a host of controversial decisions on their latest run to the NFL showpiece.
In the Divisional round, fans were also left fuming when the Houston Texans were penalized for two controversial roughing calls on Mahomes.
The NFL official also supports the Baltimore Ravens – who the Bills beat in the Divisional round
Holt has often confessed his love for the Ravens on his Facebook page over the years
Allen failed to reach his first ever Super Bowl after losing to the Chiefs again on Sunday night
Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs have been accused of benefiting from many controversial calls
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans claimed his team were against ‘everybody’ on the night as they crashed out of the postseason at Arrowhead, while defensive end Will Anderson Jr insisted it was ‘us against the refs’.
The back-to-back Super Bowl champions then faced fresh scrutiny after Buffalo was denied a crucial first down at the start of the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game.
One of many left seething over that decision was Portnoy, who revealed before the game that he had bet $1million on the Bills to win the Super Bowl.
He shared a photo of the controversial tush-push moment and said: ‘Insane. #nflrigged’.
