All-Star crew dynamics might have impacted key spot in Bills-Chiefs

The process of spotting a ball on a short-yardage play is part science, part art, part dance.

On one side of the field is the Line Judge. Standing on the opposite side of the field is the Down Judge. After the play ends, they begin their walk to the middle of the field on the spot they've each identified. If, as they approach each other, it becomes apparent they're in two different spots, one defers to the other and they meet in what becomes the official spot.

Sometimes, one of the officials will express more forcefully than the other (with words or gestures) a certain degree of confidence in the spot. The other one will have to decide, in a split second, whether to agree or to push back.

On the critical fourth down from Sunday night's Bills-Chiefs games, the official at the top of the screen was Line Judge Jeff Seeman (standing to the far left in the photo). The official at the bottom of the screen was Down Judge Patrick Holt.

After the play ends, Seeman walks to the scrum on his spot — the near side of the 40. It's an indication that Seeman believed Bills quarterback Josh Allen had gotten a first down. Holt, however, was on the far side of the 40, short of the line to gain. And Seeman yielded his spot to Holt's.

If Holt had deferred to Seeman, the Buffalo drive would have continued.

It's that simple. Two officials had two different spots, and one gave way to the other.

In this specific case, the guy who had a potential view of the ball gave in to the guy who couldn't have seen it through Allen's back. So why did Seeman defer to Holt?

When the postseason starts, the NFL reshuffles crews that have worked together for the entire season. Before Sunday, Holt and Seeman had no history of working together in the 2024 season.

In the regular season, Seeman worked on Shawn Smith's crew. Holt worked on Shawn Hochuli's crew. For the NFC Championship, Seeman and Holt were added to a crew led by Clete Blakeman.

(None of Seeman's regular-season crew members worked with him on Sunday. Holt had worked throughout the regular season with umpire Terry Killens, Jr.)

Regardless of how or why it happened, Seeman gave up his spot to Holt. Even though the ball was facing Seeman, not Holt.

It's a very tangible example of the various flaws inherent to the current system of spotting the ball. It's not just what two eyes have seen. It's what four eyes saw, with two of those eyes potentially surrendering to the other two eyes while the two officials make their way to the middle of the field.

Surely, there's a better way of making such critical decisions.