Occasionally, the NFL’s strict regulations on celebrations resurface.
While the NFL has made efforts to relax touchdown celebration rules, there are still instances where the league gets caught up in nonsensical things. This happened during a touchdown run by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on Sunday night.
Allen showcased an impressive fake against Bengals safety Nick Scott en route to the end zone. Allen pump faked, causing Scott to jump, while Allen continued running. As Allen pointed towards Scott, a replay revealed that he was smiling as he strolled into the end zone. All in good fun.
However, this harmless gesture resulted in a taunting penalty for Allen.
Some might wonder why a simple and playful exchange between competitors after an exceptional fake would warrant a 15-yard penalty. The penalty was enforced during the kickoff. It’s difficult to argue that this moment was akin to a “think of the children” situation. Trash talking of this nature occurs in the NBA almost every possession, and the sport still thrives.
Allen will likely be reprimanded for costing his team 15 yards. He will likely show less excitement the next time he scores, and the game will be less enjoyable as a result. Apparently, that is what the NFL desires.
Allen also penalized for questionable grounding
Allen received another penalty for grounding before halftime.
As the Bills attempted to advance into scoring range before the half, Allen overthrew Gabriel Davis on a route down the left sideline. The overthrow appeared to be the result of miscommunication between Allen and Davis. Allen anticipated Davis continuing his go route, while Davis pulled up short once the ball was thrown.
Although Allen was not immediately in danger, and it was clear he expected Davis to keep running, officials called intentional grounding.
“I understand the rule and the definition of it. But in reality — the game of football, that wasn’t grounding. He wasn’t trying to throw that one away. It was just a mistake in read.”
NBC’s Cris Collinsworth and Terry McAulay banter over an intentional grounding penalty called… pic.twitter.com/poOYDUOm8e
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 6, 2023
This penalty resulted in a nine-yard loss for the Bills on third down, eliminating the possibility of a 56-yard field goal attempt. Instead, they punted and entered halftime trailing 21-7.
NBC’s rules analyst Terry McAuley agreed with the call, arguing that the ball was thrown too far past Davis. However, his explanation ignored the “intentional” aspect of intentional grounding, which disappointed color commentator Cris Collinsworth, as he believed the officials made an incorrect decision.
