NFL officiating has influenced the outcome of games throughout the year, but it may just have influenced the outcome of the Steelers-Bills wild-card matchup.
And that's only the first quarter.
Down 14-0 and with the game starting to slip away from them, Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth caught a pass from Mason Rudolph and raced down the sideline for a 33-yard gain. However, when Freiermuth was tackled and fell to the ground, he fumbled the ball. Initially, the ball appeared to go out of bounds, but Freiermuth attempted to retrieve it, but the ball remained in bounds and a Bills player retrieved it.
However, even though the ball did not go out of bounds, the referee ruled it an out of bounds fumble.
This was ruled a fumble out of bounds by the Steelers and upheld after review #PITvsBUF pic.twitter.com/jOkYO6Yqa2
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) January 15, 2024
Buffalo appealed the decision, but authorities upheld it even though Buffalo appeared to have made a limited recovery.
Did this play cost the Bills?
It certainly looked like that was going to happen, but just when it looked like the Steelers were going to take the lead, Steelers QB Mason Rudolph threw an interception near the goal line.
As of this writing, the score remains 14-0, still early in the second quarter.
