The Buffalo Bills appeared to get a critical stop on the first drive for the New England Patriots on Sunday, but failed to get a replay flag out on what looked to be a dropped third-down pass.
The Patriots went on to drive for a touchdown, and the league ran into some controversy on the next drive when it overturned a catch that put the Bills deep in the red zone — which they failed to do for the Patriots on the previous drive.
NFL Fails to Overturn Critical Play Against Bills
The Bills pushed the Patriots to third-and-7 on their opening drive when quarterback Drake Maye found Kayshon Boutte down the sideline for a 30-yard reception. Replay showed that the ball hit the ground and came out of Boutte’s hands, but the Patriots raced to the line to snap the next play and Bills head coach Sean McDermott did not throw the replay flag in time.
The non-call grew controversial on the next drive, when Bills quarterback Josh Allen found new wide receiver Brandin Cooks deep on a pass that Cooks bobbled but pulled on. The Bills also raced to get the next snap, but officials on the field announced that the league’s replay assist reviewed and determined the pass was incomplete.
The call sparked controversy, with many questioning why the league wasn’t able to overturn New England’s catch that also appeared to be incomplete.
“Whereâs replay assistance on the Boutte ‘catch’ on 3rd down but they come in quickly in the Cooks bobble??” wrote former Bills lineman turned radio color commentator Eric Wood in a post on X.
The Rate the Refs account on X also called out the disparity between calls against the Bills and for the Patriots.
“Replay assist (and Vrabel) were quick to rule an incomplete pass against the Bills but not the ball that clearly hit ground for the Patriots…” the account noted.
Bills Facing Critical Challenge Against New England
The Bills came into the game needing a win to keep their hopes of a sixth straight division title alive. The Patriots opened up a two-game lead that included a win over the Bills in the first meeting between the teams in October and would clinch an AFC East title with a win on Sunday.
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