Roquan Smith's contact with Josh Allen prompted the Buffalo Bills fans to demand consequences. On the other hand, the Baltimore Ravens fans were ready with a rebuttal and several receipts of their own.
Buffalo's 36-10 win over Baltimore included a goal-line collision that kept the argument going well beyond the whistle. While critics questioned Smith's actions, his defenders took aim at Buffalo's play selection and wondered why hits on Baltimore's quarterbacks weren't generating the same outrage.
The disputed sequence came on Buffalo's opening possession. Allen scored on a fourth-down sneak, with Smith appearing to pull at the quarterback's facemask as Allen came down near the goal line.
That contact prompted angry responses from Bills fans , including accusations that Smith intended to hurt Allen. Ravens supporters responding to the criticism disputed that interpretation.
"Stop running dangerous plays with your best player," one fan wrote .
Another dismissed the complaints outright.
"Quit your whining. Nothing wrong with that play," the fan replied .
Others focused on the decision to send Allen into a crowded line of scrimmage.
"Stop running QB sneaks if you don't want your QB getting hit. Just that simple," another fan added .
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One supporter brought some sarcasm to the discussion.
"Oh no! You are running a rugby play and crying that your QB is getting hit in a contact sport! Grow up," the fan wrote .
"Josh Allen does silly stuff and is protected by the rules. He gets hurt; it's on him," another fan said .
Those responses defended the physical nature of the sneak. They also left the central disagreement unresolved. Critics were questioning Smith's apparent contact with Allen's facemask, and choosing a quarterback run does not settle whether a particular tackle was permissible.
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Allen, who ranks seventh on PFN's QB Impact Metric , continued playing and finished with 289 passing yards, two touchdown passes, and a rushing score. Buffalo improved to 6-1, leaving Baltimore with plenty of problems beyond the argument over its linebacker.
Baltimore supporters also pointed across the line of scrimmage at Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver.
"Y'all might wanna sit this one out when Ed Oliver's hip-drop tackle literally took the Ravens' backup QB out," one fan wrote .
Another expanded that accusation to include contact with rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano.
"Ed Oliver hip-dropped Huntley and put him out of the game. Not even a quarter later, he dives at Joe's knees. Quit your [expletive] and pull your skirt down," the fan wrote .
The descriptions of Oliver's tackles were the fans' characterizations. Baltimore confirmed that Tyler Huntley exited with a toe injury in the second quarter, following Lamar Jackson's departure with a thumb injury on the Ravens' first offensive play.
That left Fagnano making his NFL debut against Buffalo's pass rush. The Bills finished with four sacks and 12 quarterback hits, while Baltimore managed only 144 yards of offense.
Smith still produced one of the Ravens' better defensive performances. He led Baltimore with 11 tackles, added two passes defensed, and forced a DJ Moore fumble that T.J. Tampa recovered.
The Ravens fell to 4-4 with their third consecutive loss. Their fans had little to celebrate on Sunday, but they were clearly unwilling to let the discussion about dangerous contact begin and end with Smith.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
