Allen Has Losing Record In Games Called By Buffalo's Week 8 Officiating crew
Coming out of the bye week, the Buffalo Bills have a solid test ahead of them as they look to snap their two-game losing streak.
Buffalo struggled in back-to-back losses to the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons in Weeks 5 and 6, and quarterback Josh Allen was sacked five times and threw three interceptions in those contests.
Fortunately for the Bills, Allen is 7-0 coming out of a bye week, and head coach Sean McDermott is 8-0, which isn’t a great omen for Buffalo’s Week 8 opponent, the Carolina Panthers.
But unfortunately for the Bills, the recent news about the league’s decision on the officiating crew for their matchup this weekend isn’t in their favor.
The Bills are among the least-penalized teams in the NFL this season, as are the Panthers. Buffalo is 25th in penalties against (44) and Carolina is 26th (42), according to NFLpenalties.com, which makes their matchup on Sunday all the more intriguing.
“The Bills will see Craig Wrolstad officiating the game in Carolina,” Bills reporter Kevin Massare reported. “He officiated the Panthers' 30-0 home win over the Falcons. He's called holding 16 times this year in 7 weeks. He called KC for 0 2 weeks ago. Home teams are 5-2 with him this season. Josh Allen is 3-5 with him.
“He's officiated some Bills doozies: Allen vs Houston road rookie year (elbow injury) – L. 2019 NE loss (Allen concussion + 3 picks) – L. Hail Murray, Kyler Murray game – L. Bills OT loss to MIN (Josh fumbled snap at home) -L. Rams road thriller last year – L.”
As Massare pointed out, the home team is 5-2 in games Wrolstad has called this season, which doesn’t bode well for Allen and the Bills, who are on the road this week.
Also working in Buffalo’s favor is Allen is undefeated in his NFL career against the Panthers, albeit a small sample size.
In his only start against Carolina, Allen threw for 210 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception while rushing for another 24 yards on three carries in a 31-14 win on December 19, 2021.