Joey Bosa recently fueled the controversial debate that the NFL is scripted and games are rigged. He appeared to have a clear opportunity at a sack on Patrick Mahomes when the Buffalo Bills took on the Kansas City Chiefs, but he instead retreated.
The play occurred at a pivotal point in the fourth quarter, which further outraged many of the fans who share the scriptwriter theory. They roasted Bosa following the play, while others defended him for making the right move.
Joey Bosa Sets Fire to the Debate on Whether the NFL is Scripted
Many fans around the NFL have been pushing a narrative for years that the league is scripted and the games are rigged to fit their generated storylines. They used a crucial play from the Chiefs and Bills game in Week 9 to allegedly support their theory.
Bosa had a clear path to Mahomes on a 4th-and-17 play in the fourth quarter, but backed off of the sack instead of immediately attacking. Mahomes then proceeded to complete a pass and convert for an unlikely first down in their efforts to come back from a deficit.
— NFL (@nfl1517) November 3, 2025
This outraged many fans who pointed to their controversial theory as the reason why Bosa backed out on the play.
“Rigged/scripted NFL in full display,” said one.
Rigged/scripted NFL in full display https://t.co/zZDYVmGbsF
— CRYPTOforCHANGE (@CRYPT0forCHANGE) November 3, 2025
“They told him let the Chiefs score a touchdown here,” stated another.
They told him let the chiefs score a touchdown here
— stephenpike (@_stephenpike) November 3, 2025
Many other fans chimed in to explain why it has nothing to do with the controversial idea that games are scripted. They defended the play and described why it was actually the right thing to do in that specific situation.
“He was making a drop to cover the potential screen…dropped and looked around, and no one was there, then started chasing Pat again,” replied one.
he was making a drop to cover the potential screen…dropped and looked around and no one was there then started chasing Pat again.
— OmegaDad (@TheRealOmegaDad) November 3, 2025
“Left unblocked which makes him think screen,” posted another.
Left unblocked which makes him think screen
— WRwally (@WRwally) November 2, 2025
Many of those who studied the film closely shared a similar explanation for why he backed off. He was left completely unblocked during the play, which often occurs on screen passes. The idea is to lure the pass rushers downfield, before dumping off a screen to a theoretically open field to potentially create a big play.
Bosa is a long-time veteran, so he may have felt that if it was too easy to get to Mahomes, it was by design from the Chiefs, who were in desperate need of a big play. The video also shows that after he realized there was not a screen in place, he again pursued the quarterback.
He currently ranks 18th on PFSN’s Impact Rankings for edge players, so he is having a strong season. A legitimate case exists that he made a smart, though incorrect, read on the play. The Bills also went on to win the game, despite the Chiefs’ spectacular conversion on this specific play, further negating the potential theories that it was scripted or rigged.