The officiating between the Buffalo Bills vs. New York Giants game on Sunday night came under scrutiny, particularly on the final play of the game. With the Giants getting a free play with no time left on the clock, Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor targeted tight end Darren Waller in the end zone, but he was held by Bills cornerback Taron Johnson. That prevented Waller from fully getting a chance to catch the football. The on-field officials didn't call a hold on the play, thus clinching the 14-9 win for the Bills.
This play was talked about heavily, with NBC color commentator Cris Collinsworth saying that Johnson held Waller from the start of the play and prevented Waller from fully extending to go for the catch. Even NBC rules analyst Terry McAuly agreed with Collinsworth.
There is an overhead angle of the play in question, and it makes the officials look even worse for not throwing a penalty flag on it. You can watch it at this link.
Overhead angle shows Giants were screwed on final play vs. Bills
This certainly doesn't make the officiating look better. Granted, there were other brutal calls in the game, like the ineligible man downfield call on Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal that wiped out a 43-yard reception by rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.
The Giants put up a fight against the Bills, especially on defense. But the offense couldn't reach the end zone throughout the night, even though Taylor looked much more capable under center behind that offensive line than Daniel Jones did.
The most notable moment was their failed attempt to put points on the board despite being on Buffalo's one-yard line. With no timeouts and 14 seconds on the clock, Taylor handed the ball off to running back Saquon Barkley, who was stuffed by Buffalo's defense. The Giants were unable to spike the football on time and were unable to get any points on the board. That's just about how the season has gone for them.
If the Giants had scored a touchdown at that moment, the final play of the game wouldn't have been that consequential. Either way, it was a huge missed opportunity to pick up their second win of the season and pull off a massive upset. Instead, they are 1-5 on the year and look increasingly likely to miss the playoffs this year.
