The referees officiating Monday night’s Seahawks-Bills game screwed over Buffalo three times for the same sequence at the end of the half, effectively costing the Bills three points.
With three seconds left in the half, Dan Carpenter lined up to attempt a 53-yard field goal attempt. Seattle’s Richard Sherman then jumped way offsides. Rather than slow down, he decided to continue moving and dived right into Carpenter’s leg.
Sherman wasn't even going for the ball. pic.twitter.com/9uaLH1aUpW
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) November 8, 2016
Though Sherman clearly roughed Carpenter on the play, officials only called a five-yard penalty for him being offsides. There was no personal foul for roughing the kicker. Not calling a 15-yard penalty there was the first way the officials screwed the Bills.
Next, the Bills had to spike the ball because Carpenter needed medical attention and had to miss a play. That cost them a yard and was the second way they were screwed.
As if the Bills weren’t already being hammered enough by the refs, it got worse.
Buffalo was flagged for delay of game before Carpenter’s field goal attempt after the spike. Keep in mind that the officials were standing around and talking, trying to sort things out before letting the Bills line up for a field goal.
And even though the play clock had long expired, the officials didn’t stop the play/blow their whistles until after Carpenter had already attempted his kick rather than before it. Carpenter made the kick, but it was waved off and he had to try it again. He missed the second one, which is the only one that counted.
The Bills ended up going into halftime down 28-17. There is little doubt that the officials screwed them out of three points with all of their terrible calls.
