Bills quarterback Josh Allen was not happy with an intentional grounding late in the second half in Sunday night’s loss to the Bengals.
Allen said he was shocked to be called for grounding when he threw the ball far beyond wide receiver Gabriel Davis. Allen said the officials thought he was throwing the ball away but in reality he and Davis simply read the defense differently and he threw the ball where he was expecting Davis to be.
“I’ve never seen that call in my life,” Allen said. “It’s an option route. Gabe can sit down or go. I wasn’t pressured. They decided to make that call and unfortunately didn’t allow us to get points there. I wouldn’t do anything different. I’m expecting him to run a go, he made the read to stop. That’s what it is.”
If the play had been merely an incomplete pass, the Bills would have attempted a long field goal before halftime. But the intentional grounding penalty moved the Bills out of field goal range, and Allen said he believes scoring at the end of the half would have made a big difference to the Bills.
“It’s a huge swing. Whether it’s three or six coming out of the half, scoring on back-to-back drives and getting yourself some momentum, that’s huge in a game, especially against a good team like we just played,” Allen said.
For Allen, who also picked up a taunting penalty, it was a frustrating night. And a night in which the Bills lost their fourth game of the season — more than they lost all of last season.
