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NFL officiating video reverses crucial call that may have knocked Bills out of playoffs

NFL officials owe the Buffalo Bills an apology. League officials released a rule video Friday that reversed a controversial call that may have cost the Bills a win in the playoffs.

The video is an explainer on blindside blocks. If you watch it all the way through, you'll notice footage from the Bills' wild-card game against the Houston Texans from the 2019 NFL season. Bills lineman Cody Ford is highlighted in the clip. The voiceover says Ford's block is "not the type of forcible contact threshold that has to be met for a blindside block."

That should come as a surprise to both the Bills and Ford. The team was penalized on the play, taking them out of game-tying field-goal range. The Bills punted on the drive, and ended up losing the game 22-19. Had the play been called properly, the Bills may have tied the game.

To make matters worse, NFL officials reviewed the penalty at the time, and not only upheld the call, but decided to fine Ford $28,075 for the "illegal" block.

Will Cody Ford get his fine money back?

Now that the NFL apparently sees nothing wrong with the block, Ford should be able to get his fine money back, right? The league has yet to address the situation, but Ford has a pretty good argument if he wants to file a grievance. His block was literally used as an example of what a player should do in those situations.

The Bills, meanwhile, get nothing. The NFL can't retroactively change the outcome of the team's loss to the Texans. Bills fans will just have to be left wondering what would have happened in the contest if the officials got things right.

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