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During the Buffalo Bills‘ 37-34 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12, quarterback Josh Allen did everything he could to pull out the win.
With 7:24 left in overtime, Allen used a tried and true trick on second-and-10 to extend the drive. At the Eagles’ 45-yard line, Allen completed a short pass to running back James Cook before taking a hit from Eagles linebacker Nicholas Morrow.
Morrow didn’t shove Allen hard, but the 27-year-old quarterback flopped to the ground in dramatic fashion. Allen drew a roughing the passer the penalty, which gave the Bills offense a first down at Philadelphia’s 26-yard line.
While a video replay shows Morrow’s hit was late, Allen’s subsequent drop was an Oscar-worthy performance. Morrow was flabbergasted by the penalty. Speaking to NJ Advance Media after the game, “I didn’t feel like I was late,” he said.
“I didn’t feel I was in his head and neck area. I felt like [Allen] flopped. He was crying the moment I touched him.”
The Eagles veteran wasn’t alone in his criticism. X, formerly known as Twitter filled with frustrated comments over Allen’s flopping. A 55-second highlight reel featuring the 6-foot-4, 237-pound quarterback flopping to the ground quickly went viral.
Morrow said he pleaded with the referee after the flag was thrown but to no avail. The 28-year-old linebacker claimed the penalty held due to Allen’s status and reputation. Morrow recalled, “[The official] said, ‘I know your name.’ I said, ‘There’s no way, you’ve never heard of it.’ We had a little back-and-forth. I let it go. I didn’t agree with it.”
The Bulk of the Referees’ Calls Did Not Favor Josh Allen & the Bills
While opponents’ outrage over Allen’s flop is understandable, it’s not like Shawn Hochuli’s officiating crew favored the Bills. Throughout the matchup, the amount of non-calls on the Eagles was glaring.
The Athletic’s Tim Graham, “Never once in my career… have I ever written a column trashing an officiating performance. Until now.”
After the Bills were slapped with 10 penalties in the first half, NFL analyst Andrew Brandt posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “What beef does [Shawn] Hochuli’s crew have against the Bills?”
After Allen drew the roughing passer on Morrow overtime, several fans and analysts deemed the penalty payback for what appeared to be an obvious missed call in the second quarter. With 1:25 left in the half, Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick grabbed the collar of Allen’s jersey during a tackle attempt. Allen, whose jersey was clearly ripped, threw the ball before hitting the ground.
The rules define Reddick’s move as a horse collar, but he wasn’t called for the foul. Instead, Allen was penalized for intentional grounding. If Allen’s pass was deemed incomplete, as the Wyoming alum intended, Buffalo would’ve been in a prime position to score a touchdown. Instead, they were forced to attempt a 34-yard field goal, which Philadelphia blocked.
Ever since Nick Sirianni was hired as head coach, the Eagles are 5-0 when Hochuli is the head referee. Buffalo was called for 11 penalties for a total of 80 yards while Philadelphia received four penalties for 30 yards.
Miscommunication Between Josh Allen & Gabe Davis Killed the Game-Winning Drive
Despite the questionable officiating, Allen nearly connected with wide receiver Gabe Davis for what could’ve been the game-winning touchdown. However, Davis ran left and Allen threw right. Buffalo settled for a field goal which gave Philadelphia the opportunity to win.
Speaking to reporters in the locker room at Lincoln Financial Field, Davis agreed that it should’ve been easy to connect with Allen on that option route.
“Yes, it should’ve been simple. We’ve been running it four years. It is that simple. But again, mistakes happen. We both made a mistake on not being on the same page.”
Allen took more responsibility for the mistake during his postgame press conference. “Yeah, it’s an option route,” he said. “They were in zero, so we max-protected it. Understand they were coming to get me. I made a guess, and I guessed wrong.”
The Bills have a bye week to get on the same page before facing the Kansas City Chiefs (8-3) on Sunday, December 10. At 6-6, there’s no margin for error if Buffalo wants to play in the postseason.
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