Getty Josh Allen on the field after being sacked by the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Buffalo Bills prevailed over the Kansas City Chiefs in a 24-20 thriller on Sunday, but one missed call late in the fourth quarter nearly changed the trajectory of the entire game.
With the Bills trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter, Allen was sacked on a third-down play after defensive end Chris Jones got into the backfield and forced him to the ground. Allen was furious after the play, yelling toward the referee to say that Jones stuck out his leg to trip him and force the tackle — which should have led to a penalty on the Chiefs.
Allen didn’t get the call, and the referees are now coming under fire for what some analysts see as a blatant miss.
Key Play Benefitted Chiefs
The game had been back and forth up until the critical play, with the Bills taking a 17-10 lead after halftime and the Chiefs coming back thanks to a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman to tie the game and a 44-yard field goal by Harrison Butker to take the lead.
The Bills were looking to tie or take the lead again when Jones sacked Allen to end their drive. The play led to an immediate reaction online, with many calling out referees for missing the call.
Trip On Josh Allen not called.
Gene Steratore was among those pointing out that referees got it wrong. The former league official turned rules analyst for CBS Sports took to Twitter to point out that the play should have resulted in a first down for the Bills.
“Josh Allen has a right to be upset. If this trip was called, it would’ve been 15 yards and an automatic first down for Buffalo,” Steratore tweeted, sharing a screengrab of Jones extending his leg out to trip Allen.
Josh Allen has a right to be upset. If this trip was called, it would’ve been 15 yards and an automatic first down for Buffalo.
Others called out the play, including former Bills lineman turned color analyst Eric Wood.
“That’s an awful missed call on the trip on Josh Allen,” he tweeted. “Not sure how you miss that if you’re the ref standing there. Wow. Seems to have been bad officiating both ways. Make up call coming here…”
The Buffalo News also pointed out that the NFL Rulebook made it clear that the play should have resulted in a penalty on the Chiefs.
“According to Rule 3, Section 40, ‘Tripping is the use of the leg or foot to obstruct any opponent (including a runner). The penalty is 15 yards and a first down,’ ” the report noted.
Allen, Bills Overcome Calls to Defeat Chiefs
Though the penalty looked like it could have squashed any momentum from the Bills, they got several big plays from the defense and Allen to storm back. The defense forced a punt, and on the ensuing drive Allen led the team on a 12-play, 76-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dawson Knox.
Though the Bills left a little more than a minute for Patrick Mahomes to drive for a potential go-ahead score, there wasn’t a repeat of last year’s playoff collapse where the Bills allowed Mahomes to march down the field in 13 seconds. Bills cornerback Taron Johnson intercepted Mahomes, and the Bills ran out the clock for the 24-20 victory.