Eagles veteran: Bills’ Josh Allen was ‘crying’ after I got to him.

PHILADELPHIA — Linebacker Nicholas Morrow made a crucial mistake that could have cost the Eagles the game: He gave Josh Allen a chance to use his acting skills, and the Buffalo Bills quarterback took an Oscar-worthy flop on a meaningless shove that became a near-disastrous roughing-the-passer penalty.

And while the internet cracked jokes, it was nothing to laugh about.

On second and 10 at the Eagles’ 45 and the game tied with 7:24 remaining in overtime, Allen completed a short pass to running back James Cook as Morrow blitzed. Allen had released the ball when Morrow arrived and shoved Allen, who flopped to the ground, drawing the penalty.

Instead of a third-and-six at the Eagles’ 41, the Bills had a first down at the Eagles’ 26-yard line. A touchdown would end the game without the Eagles even possessing the ball in overtime.

“I didn’t feel like I was late,” Morrow told NJ Advance Media after the game. “I didn’t feel I was in his head and neck area. I felt like [Allen] flopped. He was crying the moment I touched him.”

Eventually, the defense stiffened and held the Bills to a 40-yard field goal, allowing the Eagles to win the game, 37-34, with a nine-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by quarterback Jalen Hurts’ 12-yard touchdown run.

The Eagles improved to an NFL-best 10-1, but Morrow came dangerously close to being the goat — even if he believed it was a bad call.

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Morrow said he pleaded with an official after the play but was told the penalty was called because he didn’t ease up. The 28-year-old linebacker said he told the referee he believed the flag was thrown because of Allen’s reputation as a player.

“[The official] said, ‘I know your name,’” Morrow recounted. “I said, ‘There’s no way, you’ve never heard of it.’ We had a little back-and-forth. I let it go. I didn’t agree with it.”

The penalty drew outrage and jokes on social media, with Pro Football Focus lead NFL analyst Sam Monson posting a highlight video of Allen’s past flops. He added: “Lol Josh Allen’s highlight flop reel is getting extensive.”

NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark posted a poll that asked if it was a bad call. Not surprisingly, his audience of mostly Eagles fans voted yes.

On the CBS broadcast, Tony Romo said Allen sold the call, even though the contact was light.

Still, Morrow gave Allen a chance to flop and officials an opportunity to throw a flag when he had no shot at a sack. The Eagles hope he has learned a lesson about needlessly hitting a quarterback.

Morrow, who finished with 12 tackles has emerged as a starter for the Eagles. After splitting the last five years between the Raiders and Bears, he signed with the Eagles in March, but did not make Philadelphia’s 53-man roster out of training camp. He was signed him to the practice squad before Week 1 and added to the active roster a week later.

Injuries to starting linebacker Nakobe Dean provided Morrow with an opporunity and he has played well. He bounced back from the controversial penalty and helped his teammates make a stand in overtime.

“Resilient,”Morrow said. “ We find a way to make [big plays], find a way to win a game when it matters. That’s what we did. It’s going to carry over to the rest of the season.”

The Eagles hope the lesson he learned will, too.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Cayden Steele may be reached at CSteele@njadvancemedia.com.