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The Bills were looking to break a 17-all tie with the Dolphins will 11 seconds left in the second quarter when it appeared that Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs may have connected for a spectacular touchdown.
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During the play, Allen threw a perfect strike to Diggs on the left boundary of the end-zone. The All-Pro receiver was only able to extend his left arm far enough to get the ball, but he managed to reel it in one-handed.
However, the pass was ruled incomplete on the field. Why? Because Diggs wasn’t able to establish control of the ball and get both of his feet down inbounds to secure the score.
Incredible effort by @StefonDiggs 😮
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📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/zCGXBeNnOK pic.twitter.com/Il4smfWQZc— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2023
Is this a TD? 🧐pic.twitter.com/14ZTN2TZgn
— PFF (@PFF) January 15, 2023
That said, many watching the game anticipated that it would be reviewed by the officials. After all, the play was close, and Diggs managed to get each of his feet in the end zone. It was just a question of when exactly he gained control of the ball.
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Instead, the officials opted not to review it, and this drew the ire of Buffalo’s players and coaching staff; the Bills had to use a timeout since they weren’t ready to run their next play as they waited for a replay review.
The Bills didn’t have the option to challenge the play because it occurred with under two minutes remaining in the first half. All reviews after the two-minute warning in each half must be initiated by an NFL replay official.
That said, the NFL replay official isn’t obligated to review a play that isn’t a scoring play or a turnover. The NFL rulebook leaves it up to the “Replay Official or the Senior Vice President of Officiating or his or her designee” to make a decision.
So, in the case of Diggs’ catch, the league must have felt that there was no clear-cut evidence that suggested the receiver had made the catch. As such, they let play continue, and Buffalo had to burn a timeout since it wasn’t ready to run its next play.
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It’s understandable that the league would quickly rule that Diggs failed to make the grab. It certainly doesn’t look like he came down with the catch on the replay.
Still, that the league wouldn’t at least take a slightly longer look at the key play to ensure they got it right was a bit surprising.
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