NFL fans have accused Buffalo Bills star Skyler Bell of deliberately taking out a referee during the game, sparking debate over whether it was an attempt to gain an advantage
Wide receiver Skyler Bell #13 of the Buffalo Bills runs with the ball
Bills wide receiver Skyler Bell has been accused of deliberately "taking out" a referee(Image: Getty Images)
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NFL fans have accused Buffalo Bills star Skyler Bell of deliberately "taking out" a referee during a game, with some suggesting the incident was an attempt to gain an advantage.
The Bills wide receiver appeared to collide with referee Scott Novak during the game against the Los Angeles Rams, sending the official stumbling as the play unfolded.
Novak remained on his feet after the collision and later sparked a wave of reactions on social media when he announced over his microphone that there were "no injuries on the field" despite being struck by Bell, with some NFL fans accusing Bills players of deliberately targeting officials.
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"Dawg did Skyler bell do that intentionally" one fan wrote on X. Another added: "Skyler Bell with the smartest play I've ever seen on a football field there by tripping the ref to get to the 2 min warning."
A third user asked: "It may have been unintentional, but when they broke the huddle before the 2:00 warning, did Skyler Bell take a dive by running into the ref so they wouldn't have to run a play? Is it a penalty to bump into a ref and make him fall down? Shouldn't have been standing there?"
A fourth fan said: "I just want to say that Skyler Bell (that $200 min price guy on draftkings we all played) has a dropped TD, a holding penalty and was benched for the rest of the 4th quarter and now just ran into a ref in OT. End his career on his debut."
While a fifth user added: "They robbed the Rams, cutting time of the clock to help the Bills."
The Bills' rookies continued to struggle in overtime, with Bell penalized for holding shortly after the two-minute warning, negating a crucial screen pass to Ty Johnson. Despite the mistakes and the collision, the Bills managed to pull through, defeating the Rams 37-34.
Josh Allen threw for 210 yards and rushed for another 121 as the Buffalo Bills (4-1) rallied to win a thrilling contest between the teams led by the NFL's last two MVP quarterbacks.
The Bills appeared to be in trouble when James Cook fumbled early in overtime, but Allen got another opportunity and secured his first career overtime victory. He outlasted Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns.
"That's the beautiful thing about football: You get another drive," Allen said. "You get another game. All you can do is keep moving forward. You're hoping someone on defense or special teams can make a play, and that's what happened. Greg Rousseau made a play."
The Bills will take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.