Should Chiefs have challenged Josh Allen’s lateral? Here’s a closer look at the play
Sunday’s AFC Divisional playoff game between the Chiefs and Bills in Orchard Park, New York, got off to a weird start.
On the first play, Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw a 4-yard pass to Stefon Diggs, who fumbled. Teammate Dalton Kincaid batted the ball out of bounds, which is illegal, and Buffalo was flagged 10 yards and a loss of down.
The next play was an incomplete pass by Allen, and Chiefs safety Mike Edwards was shaken up and left the game.
On third down, Allen took off running and after picking up 4 yards threw a lateral to Ty Johnson, who ran for 12 more yards.
Buffalo went for it on fourth-and-1 and picked it up, but let’s back up for a second.
That lateral ... was it really not a forward pass? Here’s video of the play.
X user Bill Barnwell showed where the ball was released and caught. It certainly looks like the ball went forward.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid didn’t challenge the play, which would have forced Buffalo to punt. Instead they went down the field and kicked a field goal.
Former Chiefs offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz said there is a science lesson to be learned from the lateral.
“Good lesson in physics,” Schwartz wrote. “Even though you throw it backwards your momentum going forward pulls the ball in that direction. So you’ve got to throw it further backwards than you think if you’re moving forward.”
