Questionable penalty erases amazing Josh Allen TD pass, crushes NFL prop bettors

Buffalo Bills' QB Josh Allen connected with Dalton Kincaid on an improbable completion, but the play was nullified.

Ralph Ventre | 1 Hour Ago

Dec 15, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) side arm tosses the ball to end Dalton Kincaid (86) for a touchdown / David Reginek-Imagn Images

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It was another never-seen-before trick out of Josh Allen's bag, adding to the ever-growing list of Allen-produced "Play of the Year" candidates.

Looking to create a three-score lead over the Detroit Lions late in the fourth quarter, the Buffalo Bills faced a 3rd-and-goal from the 10-yard line and Allen called upon his improvisation skills.

Scrambling and giving the impression he was going to make a run for pay dirt, Allen decided to release a push pass as he reached the line of scrimmage. Resembling a basketball chest pass, the ball found an open Dalton Kincaid in the end zone.

CBS lead play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz was quick to draw a hoops comparison to Allen's marvelous effort.

"This was as good of a basketball chest pass as I've called in the building," said Nantz, who served as play-by-play announcer for the 2009 NCAA Final Four at Ford Field.

The celebration was extremely short lived, however, as a penalty flag had been thrown from behind the line of scrimmage. The referee charged starting left guard David Edwards with offensive holding for what the replay showed to be a ticky-tack call.

Edwards appeared to legally lock up his man right in front of where Allen stepped up and looked to run. Lions' defensive tackle Pat O'Connor attempted to quickly disengage with Edwards while leaning toward Allen just as the quarterback passed by. The action was apparently just enough to make the official throw a penalty flag that flew in late behind the play after Allen released the chest pass.

A holding penalty wipes out a Josh Allen chest pass TD 😅 pic.twitter.com/Sz9RXuc4Tw
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 16, 2024

“I wish we could have kept that one because that was fun. Getting Dalton back going, too. That would have been good for him," said Allen.

It would have also been good for those invested in the player prop betting market.

There were certainly those who decided to back Kincaid for an anytime touchdown in his first game action since Week 10. The sure-handed tight end offered a +260 (Fan Duel) profit for scoring a touchdown. The ticket looked like a winner until it wasn't.

The other swing in the player prop market came with Allen's projected TD passes. Caesars offered Allen to throw 3+ touchdown passes at +255. Allen has already connected with Khalil Shakir and Ray Davis on scoring strikes and the nullified chest pass would have given him the required three.

Sep 23, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) makes a touchdown catch against the Jacksonville Jaguars / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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