Josh Allen Makes Incredible - But Probably Illegal - Play Immediately Against Chiefs, Helps Bills Score First

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Prior to the start of the Divisional Round showdown, the Kansas City Chiefs won the coin toss and elected to defer their choice to the second half. That means the Buffalo Bills, and quarterback Josh Allen, received the game's opening kickoff.

Most teams elect to to do that -- except the Green Bay Packers -- but it's still an interesting choice in this scenario. Personally, I would have wanted the ball in Patrick Mahomes' hands immediately if I were the Chiefs.

Especially since he's never played a road playoff game, I'd want him out there as soon as possible to start feeling his way into the game -- and to try and prevent Buffalo from taking an early lead.

However, Andy Reid is a two-time Super Bowl champion head coach so I think he knows what he's doing.

So, the Bills received the opening kick.

Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills looks to throw a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium.

Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills looks to throw a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

After a bizarre sequence in which Bills star receiver Stefon Diggs fumbled the football and tight end Dalton Kincaid knocked it out of bounds (referees flagged him for illegal batting) to prevent a Kansas City recovery, the Bills found themselves in a third-down-and-17 situation.

Allen dropped back to pass, then decided to take off and run. As the Chiefs defense converged on him, he "lateraled" the ball to running back James Cook, who took it up the sideline just short of a first down.

The play was truly incredible. Except, replays showed that Allen's "lateral" appeared to travel slightly forward. That means it should have been called an illegal forward pass, which would have forced the Bills to punt.

The way Allen threw it, the pass appeared to travel backwards based on the way Allen threw it. However, it didn't.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, though, did not throw the challenge flag, so the play stood. That gave the Bills fourth-and-1. They went for it and converted. Ultimately, the drive ended in a field goal for Buffalo.

That means the Bills scored three points that they probably shouldn't have.

If the game comes down to that, you can bet Andy Reid will regret the decision to keep the red flag in his pocket.

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.