Buffalo Bills lament “inexcusable” error that resulted in a dramatic 24–22 loss to the Denver Broncos
In the Denver Broncos’ victory over the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on November 13, Wil Lutz makes the game-winning field goal on
Wil Lutz’s last-minute, retaken field goal gave the Denver Broncos a thrilling 24-22 victory over the prone Buffalo Bills on Monday.
The kicker’s first try from 41 yards had missed the mark with seconds remaining, but he was given a reprieve when the Bills were penalized for fielding too many players.
One extra man was on the field as the Bills attempted, but failed, to convert from their dime defense to a field goal block configuration.
Following the five-yard penalty, Lutz attempted again, this time from 36 yards, and he made no mistakes.
“This week, we worked switching from dime to field goal block two or three times. Ultimately, we failed to execute, which makes it unacceptable,” the clearly irate Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott told reporters following the game.
It concluded a careless performance by the Bills, who have now dropped two straight games and are now 5-5 overall and outside of the AFC playoff picture.
Josh Allen, the quarterback for the Bills, had yet another challenging night. He threw two interceptions, making it his sixth straight game with a pick, and he also lost a fumble. Now that he has 11 interceptions this season, he leads the NFL.
It’s awful. When reporters questioned Allen what went wrong for the squad, he responded, “A lot of bad football.”
Less than two minutes remained after Allen’s six-yard rushing touchdown put the home team ahead 22–21. This was despite the abundance of mistakes, which have become a recurring theme for the Buffalo offense this year.
However, there was still time for the Bills to make a mistake, as cornerback Taron Johnson’s obvious pass interference with 35 seconds remaining was called into question, giving Denver’s Lutz the opportunity to win it.
The Broncos have won three straight games to get to 4-5 on the season.
Even while the Bills’ clumsy performance may be what people remember most about the evening, Courtland Sutton’s incredible touchdown for Denver in the second quarter will also be etched in history.
With just under seven and a half minutes remaining in the second quarter, quarterback Russell Wilson pulled out of a difficult situation and lofted a pass toward the corner. It was an unlikely moment.
After Sutton caught the pass, it was first called out of bounds, but a review of the play revealed that the receiver had kept himself in thanks to some incredible toe drag footwork, giving Denver a 9-0 lead.
Social media users praised the play almost unanimously, calling the catch “insane” and even questioning ESPN, “are” YOU SERIOUS!?”
Hamlin's return to prominence
Despite the chastening defeat, there was some good news for the Bills who saw Damar Hamlin make his first tackle in an NFL regular season game since his cardiac arrest in January.
Hamlin came on in the fourth quarter and wrapped up tight end Adam Trautman near the sideline during the nail-biting conclusion.
After going into cardiac arrest on the field in January while playing against the Cincinnati Bengals, the safety for the Bills made his debut in a regular season game in October.
In April, Hamlin received the all-clear to start playing football again. He had fully participated in preseason games by August.
After making a tackle and absorbing a bullet to the head and chest, Hamlin fell to the ground in January. When his pulse stopped and resuscitation and defibrillation were required to revive him, medical personnel administered CPR. He was in a Cincinnati hospital for over a week, on a ventilator for days at a time.
Later research revealed that commotio cordis, which can happen when significant trauma to the chest impairs the heart’s electrical function, was the cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest. charge and results in potentially harmful fibrillations, or irregular heartbeats.