Refs miss clear penalty in wild end to first half of Bill-Seahawks
An exciting first half of Monday night’s Bills-Seahawks game ended in baffling fashion.
When the Bills lined up to kick a 54-yard field goal in the final seconds, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman jumped offside and hit Bills kicker Dan Carpenter. Sherman was penalized for offsides but not for roughing the kicker.
Fox officiating expert Mike Pereira said roughing the kicker cannot be called because the play is whistled dead on the offside penalty. However, Sherman should have been called for a late hit, Pereira added.
Carpenter was hurt on the play and an injury timeout was called, meaning he would have to sit out one play. Bills coach Rex Ryan instructed his team to quickly spike the ball so Carpenter could get back in the game. Because Carpenter was injured on a foul, he should have been able to stay in the game, NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino said.
At the end of the half in #BUFvsSEA its unnecessary roughness for hitting the kicker. Foul means he can stay in the game.
— Dean Blandino (@DeanBlandino) November 8, 2016
Carpenter’s next attempt was wiped out by a delay of game penalty and he missed the third try from 54 yards.
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