Getty Josh Allen runs for a touchdown in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Allen was charged with taunting during a touchdown run in the first quarter of Buffalo’s 24-18 loss on Nov. 5. Allen had faked out to Bengals safety Nick Scott during the play and then pointed to Scott as he headed into the end zone on the play. Tie touchdown.
Officials cited Allen for unsportsmanlike conduct in the game, but Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce made it clear this week that he vehemently disagrees with the charge.
“One of the weakest taunts you’ve ever seen? Probably,” Kelce said on an episode of the New Heights podcast. “I’m not sure I’ve seen too many of them… I think it’s a hoax. I’m on Josh’s team on this. That’s nonsense.”
Travis Kelce wants players to play
Kelce criticized the referees for interfering in the game and said players should be allowed to point at the opponent during the game. While the call had no impact on the play itself, it did force the Bills to kickoff 15 yards further down the score.
“Whoever is struggling right now is my guy Josh Allen,” Kelce said. “And he had to deal with this taunting punishment. Man, it sucks, man. You can’t point at a guy? … This is so fucking crazy.”
Allen may not be done paying the fine just yet. The Bills quarterback faces a fine because the league regularly imposes fines for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Josh Allen questioned another call
Allen had already expressed his displeasure with another questionable statement about the loss to the Bengals. Late in the first half, as the Bills moved into field goal range, the referees threw a flag for intentional grounding after Allen overthrew wide receiver Gabe Davis when the two miscommunicated on a route.
Allen could be seen visibly upset by the call, later saying that he had never seen another quarterback draw a penalty for overthrowing an option route, which allows Davis to shoot shallow or deep depending on the coverage run.
“I’ve never seen that call in my life,” Allen said. “It’s an options route. Gabe can sit or walk. I wasn’t put under any pressure. They made that decision and unfortunately didn’t allow us to get points there. I wouldn’t do anything differently. I expect him to try, he made sure the reading stopped. That’s it.”
The 15-yard penalty pushed the Bills out of field goal range, running out of time before halftime. Had they scored, the Bills would have had a chance to score the second-half kickoff and score points on consecutive drives.
Allen said after the game that the call had a significant impact on the momentum of the game.
“It’s a huge swing. “Whether it’s getting three or six guys out of halftime, scoring on back-to-back attacks and gaining some momentum, that’s huge in a game, especially against a good team like we just played,” Allen said .