NRG Stadium play clock malfunctions, causes chaos in final minutes of Bills vs. Texans TNF game
As Thursday night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans came out of the two-minute warning, there were some technical difficulties. The play clock at NRG Stadium malfunctioned, meaning the back judge had to keep the time.
It was already an eventful game for the officiating crew as the Bills and Texans squared off on TNF. Referee Adrian Hill left with an injury, meaning umpire Roy Ellison donned the white cap for the remainder of the contest.
Then, the play clock went down. By rule, the back judge had to take over using hand and arm signals for the quarterback during that time, according to Football Zebras. It was the latest shakeup for the officiating crew after Ellison took on referee responsibilities in Hill’s place.
The play clock appeared to come back up in the final minute after the Bills got a huge play on 4th and 27 to stay alive. But There was even more chaos from there.
The Bills kept marching into the red zone, but Josh Allen threw his second interception of the day on 4th and 6 after a false start. A flag came in on the play, but it was pass interference on Buffalo, meaning Houston declined the penalty and took a knee to run out the clock.
Allen got sacked eight times in Thursday’s game against Houston – the most in his career – as he suffered his fourth loss in five career matchups against the Texans. He completed 24 of 34 passes for 253 yards, but did not throw for a touchdown and threw two interceptions. James Cook was the lone bright spot for the Bills offense, rushing for 116 yards and their lone offensive touchdown of the game on the opening possession.
On the Texans side, Davis Mills went 16 of 30 for 153 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Houston charge. He now has a 3-0 record as the starter since taking over for an injured CJ Stroud, keeping Houston in the playoff picture as Thanksgiving quickly approaches. Woody Marks also emerged as the leader of the backfield, taking 16 carries for 74 yards.
With the win, the Texans improved to 6-5 on the year and dropped the Bills to 7-4 overall to start Week 12. Houston will get ready to take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13 while the Bills will turn around and face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
