It turned out to be as detrimental as it seemed during the first half of the Buffalo Bills’ Week 9 home game against the Miami Dolphins.
While attempting a two-minute drill, the Bills reached a 1st-and-10 at the Dolphins’ 11-yard line, but their momentum was halted by consecutive questionable holding penalties against offensive linemen Dion Dawkins and O’Cyrus Torrence.
The calls were not clearly justified, with Dawkins’ penalty appearing particularly erroneous. During an incompletion by Josh Allen to Khalil Shakir in the end zone, Dawkins legally forced Dolphins rookie Chop Robinson to the ground. The Bills’ left tackle effectively swatted Robinson’s hands away, causing him to fall.
NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, a former professional offensive lineman, noted that Dawkins’ maneuver was acceptable and deserving of no penalty. He stated, “This is not holding…This is an advanced technique to get the DL hands off and to use the momentum to face plant the rusher. This would bug me for 24 hours if called against me,” he remarked on the platform now called X.
The penalty set the Bills back to a 1st-and-20 on the 21-yard line, leading to another disputed call. Allen, just one rushing touchdown away from tying Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson for second place in team history, made a spectacular run into the end zone. However, as Allen and the offensive line celebrated, a late holding penalty on Torrence nullified the touchdown. The replay indicated that Torrence’s hands remained within the legal boundaries of his opponent’s shoulders, and the holding was not obvious. This marginal call forced the Bills to settle for a field goal, leaving them trailing 10-6 at halftime.
Additionally, there was another questionable penalty against Buffalo’s defense during Miami’s second offensive possession. Running back Raheem Mostert caught a pass and made contact with safety Taylor Rapp after lowering his head. Strangely, Rapp was penalized for unnecessary roughness.
Despite facing multiple instances of questionable officiating in the first half, the Bills managed to recover and won the game 30-27.
