It would have been a magical moment – if it hadn't gone so horribly wrong.
The Bills' offensive blunder in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Chiefs in the district round, punctuated by a failed fake punt, nearly ended their season.
The Bills' offense thrived through the first three quarters and got the ball back early in the fourth, shortly after Kansas City scored a touchdown to take the lead.
The Bills had a 4th-and-5 opportunity from their own 30-yard line and tried to punt, but the snap went instead to Damar Hamlin, who missed a fake and closed it down by 2 yards.
“I felt like we were having a hard time stopping them,” Bills coach Sean McDermott told reporters after the game. I wanted to,” he said. “You only get one chance, so I wanted to be proactive. Obviously it didn't work out, but this is a decision I made and you guys should accept it.”
In fact, the Chiefs offense had scored a touchdown on three straight possessions, not counting a kneeling down before halftime.
But then questions arose. Why not trust Josh Allen and the offense that was moving the ball throughout the game?
“I understand what you're saying about putting Josh out,” McDermott said, according to the Buffalo News. “It's just the situation we were on the field in terms of the element of surprise in that situation. Obviously, we didn't execute.”
The Chiefs only had 10 players on the field for this game, so it looked like they had a chance.
But even though they were one man short, they were not fooled and left little room for Hamlin to run.
Hamlin, a safety, has been inactive all season due to the depth of the Bills' secondary and was only needed for this game as the team was plagued with injuries.
Hamlin miraculously continued his NFL career after colliding with the Bengals at the end of last season and suffering cardiac arrest on the field.
“I think Sean McDermott thought this was a Disney movie” Yahoo NFL writer Charles McDonald I wrote to Xas the Bills coach got shredded on social media over the phone.
“I want to try again on the 4th and 6th to fake punt to a defensive player who has played his 100th snap of the season.'' SB Nation's Justice Mosqueda wrote:
Despite the questionable play, the Chiefs bailed the Bills out by giving the ball to Mecole Hardman on a sweep play from the Bills 3-yard line, and the receiver caused his second fumble of the game.
The ball went through the end zone, giving the Bills the ball back.
The Bills went 3-and-out on their ensuing drive, and their last chance to tie the game ended in heartbreak. when Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard field goal with 1:43 left.
The Chiefs advance to the AFC Championship Game and will face the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday at 3 p.m.
