The Buffalo Bills opened the fourth quarter of their AFC championship game matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs by converting a ‘Tush Push’ play on fourth down.
Just a few plays later, they couldn’t do the same.
Facing another fourth-and-inches, this time over midfield, the Bills once again put the ball in Josh Allen’s hands. Initially, it appeared Allen was able to bull forward for a first down.
However, the officials ruled Allen was just short of the line to gain despite one crew member appearing to give Allen the first down. The play was reviewed, but it ended up standing as it was called. That meant there was insufficient video evidence to overturn the call.
Indeed, the camera angles showed on the CBS broadcast didn’t show anything definitive. Too many players were blocking the line to gain, making it impossible to see whether Allen had made it.
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Even so, CBS’s rules analyst Gene Steratore believed Allen had made the line to gain, though he acknowledged it was impossible to tell.
‘I felt like he gained it by a third of the football,’ Steratore said of the ‘tough call.’
The decision proved consequential. The Chiefs were able to turn the stop into a quick touchdown drive that culminated in a 10-yard touchdown run by Patrick Mahomes. He then found Justin Watson for a 2-point conversion to give Kansas City a 29-22 lead with 10:14 left in the fourth quarter.
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