Kneeldowns at the end of a half are usually the most uneventful plays in football, but Bills quarterback Josh Allen nearly experienced a kneeldown disaster on Thursday night.
With two seconds remaining in the first half, Allen lined up for a kneeldown, but he fumbled the snap and it hit the ground. Allen knelt down to pick the ball up, and the officials blew the play dead, ending the first half. Allen tossed the ball to an official and jogged to the locker room, while most players on both teams seemed not to notice that the ball had been on the ground.
But some viewers at home thought Allen had tossed a live ball to the official, and that the play should have gone on. One Dolphin, cornerback Jack Jones, also appeared to think the play was still live and began to pursue Allen before he saw the officials signal that the play was over.
Ultimately, if the officials rule that the quarterback gave himself up, that ends the play. But this kneeldown was a closer call than most, and a reminder that every play, even a play as mundane as a kneeldown, can have something consequential happen.
