Points were tough to come by in the first half of Sunday’s Week 12 matchup between the Bills and Eagles. And referee Shawn Hochuli’s crew didn’t exactly do the Bills any favors.
With the Bills driving in the second quarter deep into Eagles territory, Haason Reddick forced Josh Allen out of the pocket and wrapped up the Bills quarterback as he tried to get the ball away.
Reddick, though, grabbed the front of Allen’s jersey (ripping the jersey!) and pulled Allen down by the horse collar. While horse-collar penalties can’t be called with the quarterback in the pocket, Allen was out of the pocket there. It was a clear penalty.
A pretty blatant horse-collar penalty missed here.
Josh Allen's jersey is ripped…pic.twitter.com/1W6wZJsBwb
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 26, 2023
Instead, the officials would call Allen for the intentional-grounding penalty. And to make matters worse, the ensuing field-goal try was blocked. So, what should have been a first-and-goal opportunity for the Bills turned into zero points thanks to the officiating blunder.
Though the Bills would quickly force a turnover and score a touchdown before the half, fans couldn’t believe that missed call. After all, the ref was *right* there to see it happen.