Eagles LB Rips Bills QB Josh Allen for ‘Crying’ Over Hit
In the Buffalo Bills’ 37-34 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12, quarterback Josh Allen did everything he could to get the win.
With 7:24 left in overtime, Allen used a proven trick to extend the drive to 2nd-and-10. At the Eagles’ 45-yard line, Allen threw a short pass to James Cook before being hit by Eagles quarterback Nicholas Morrow.
Morrow didn’t push Allen too hard, but the 27-year-old quarterback quickly fell to the ground. Allen was called for a passing penalty, giving the Bills a first down at the Philadelphia 26-yard line.
A video replay showed Morrow’s hit was too little too late, but Allen’s aftermath was an Oscar-winning performance. Morrow was surprised by the penalty kick. “I felt like it was late,” he told NJ Advance Media after the game. “I didn’t feel like I was in his head and neck area. I felt [Alan] collapse. When I touched her, she cried.
The Eagles veteran was not alone in his criticism. X, formerly known as Twitter, was filled with depressing comments about Allen’s failure. The 55-second video of the 6-foot-2, 237-pound quarterback falling 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 defender called for Allen to be punished, citing his status and reputation. “[The officer] said, ‘I know your name,'” Morrow recalled. I said, “It’s impossible. You’ve never heard of it.” I ate some. I sent. “I disagreed with that person.”
Most of the referee’s calls were not in favor of Josh Allen and the Bills.
The opposition’s frustration with Allen’s flop is understandable, but it doesn’t look like Sean Hochuli’s team is rooting for the Bills. The number of no calls the Eagles had during the game was surprising.
Tim Graham of The Athletic: “I’ve never written a refereeing column in my career. so far.”
After the Bills were called for 10 penalties in the first half, NFL analyst Andrew Brandt tweeted at X: “What about [Sean] Hochuli’s team against the Bills?”
After Allen pulled a foul pass from Morrow in overtime, some fans and pundits saw the penalty as payback for an obvious missed call in the second quarter. With 1:25 left in the first half, Eagles quarterback Haason Reddick grabbed Allen by the collar of his jersey during a tackle. Allen, whose shirt was completely torn, threw the ball before it hit the ground.
The rules define Reddick’s move as a horse collar, but he was not called for a foul. Instead, Allen was penalized for grounding him on purpose. Had Allen’s pass been ruled incomplete, as the University of Wyoming graduate believed, Buffalo would have been in prime position to score. Instead, they had to punt for a 34-yard field goal that was blocked by Philadelphia.
The Eagles are 5-0 with Hochuli as their head coach since Nick Sirianni was named head coach. Buffalo had 11 penalties for a total of 80 yards, while Philadelphia had four penalties for 30 yards.
Poor judgment between Josh Allen and Gabe Davis destroyed the game-winning drive.
Despite the dubious advantage, Allen was even able to connect with receiver Gabe Davis for the win. But Davis ran to left and Allen threw to right. Buffalo settled for a field goal, giving Philadelphia a chance to win. Speaking to reporters in the locker room at Lincoln Financial Field, Davis agreed that it should be easy to connect with Allen through the option.
“Yeah, it should have been simple. I’ve been driving this for four years. It’s simple. But mistakes happen again. “We made mistakes because we weren’t on the same page.”
Allen took responsibility for the mistake in his postgame press conference. “Yes, it’s an optional route,” he said. “Because he was 0, we protected him as much as possible. He understands that they came after me. “I guessed, but I was wrong.”
The Bills have a bye week before facing the Kansas City Chiefs (8-3) on Sunday, December 10. At 6-6, Buffalo has no room for error if they want to make the postseason.
