The Buffalo Bills may have gotten a hint of good fortune on an officiating decision late in their wild-card victory over the Miami Dolphins.
The Bills were trying to run out the clock on Miami late in the fourth quarter with a 34-31 lead. Facing a third-and-7, running back Devin Singletary managed to carry the pile with him for several yards, getting very close to the first down marker. The Dolphins were out of timeouts, so a first down would clinch the game for Buffalo with under a minute left.
Though he came close, Singletary did not seem to make it to the line to gain. However, officials gave him a first down.
Devin Singletary ices the game for the @BuffaloBills! #MIAvsBUF #SuperWildCard pic.twitter.com/uM9kZiRx53
— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2023
It was tough to see even on replay, but there did not appear to be any real conclusive view showing Singletary reached the marker.
Is this a Buffalo Bills first down? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/AUkllyWGSL
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 15, 2023
On the other hand, there was also nothing conclusive to show Singletary did not make it, either. That worked against Miami here, since the call on the field was a first down, and the ensuing replay review could do nothing but determine the call would have to stand. Admittedly, even if the call had been reversed, the Bills had a decent shot of ending the game had they put the ball in Josh Allen’s hands on fourth-and-inches.
The Bills were unconvincing on Sunday and turned the ball over three times, which kept Miami in the game. They survived anyway, but they will have to sharpen up quickly, particularly if they wind up dealing with the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round.
