NFL officials missed a blatant holding penalty in the wild-card playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos on Sunday, leading to controversy on social media.
When Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen was sacked on third down, a replay showed that Broncos defensive back Patrick Surtain II was holding onto Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid. However, the penalty was not called, and head referee Bill Vinovich was seen speaking with Allen immediately after the play.
Allen later acknowledged the interaction, saying, “I wasn’t happy with what was going on, and I was yelling a little bit, and he said, ‘Don’t be yelling.’ So my bad.”
Despite the missed call, the game did not appear to be significantly impacted, as the Bills went on to win 31-7. Allen finished the game with 20-of-26 passing for 272 yards and two touchdowns, while James Cook ran for 120 yards and a score.
The Bills have advanced to the divisional round for the fifth straight season, where they will face the Baltimore Ravens and two NFL MVP favorites, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
“This is what everyone’s been waiting for, right?” said Bills head coach Sean McDermott. “So it’ll be a nice week and everyone will be looking forward to it, and they’re a great football team. I mean they handled us pretty good the first go around, and they’re certainly playing well.”
