UPDATE (12:05 a.m. ET): The crazy ending to the first half ended up costing the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills could have made a field goal at the end of the half Monday night, but a controversial no-call on Richard Sherman and a delay of game resulted in an ugly kick from Dan Carpenter.
That proved especially costly because the Bills had the ball in the red zone in the final minute down by six points. They ultimately couldn’t find the end zone, but they wouldn’t have needed to if they got the field goal earlier.
So the Seattle Seahawks dodged a bullet to win 31-25. Will the same happen Sunday night against the New England Patriots?
ORIGINAL STORY: Even when we finally get a good, entertaining game in the NFL, it all goes to hell before halftime.
The Buffalo Bills marched down the field to get into field-goal range for kicker Dan Carpenter, but Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman made sure the kick never went through the uprights by jumping offside and tackling Carpenter while he tried to kick.
Kickers are people too @RSherman_25 pic.twitter.com/sd6qb1qbv5
— Cris Collinsworth (@CollinsworthPFF) November 8, 2016
That’s clearly a personal foul, right? Well, it probably should have been, but only offside was called.
You can't have roughing the kicker because the play was shut down for defense offside. You can have a late hit which I think it was.
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) November 8, 2016
There was a bigger problem for Buffalo, though. Carpenter had to be attended to by medical personnel, so he had to come off for a play. With just seconds left, the Bills spiked the ball to set up another shot for Carpenter.
But they failed to snap the ball in time, although the official appeared to be over the ball when the play clock hit zero.
The official was still over the ball when the play clock expired. Delay of game on the offense! pic.twitter.com/OylelWEfMi
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) November 8, 2016
The penalty moved the Bills back five yards, and Carpenter finally missed the field-goal attempt that counted to send the Seahawks into the half with a 28-17 lead.
Wow.
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
