Following the Buccaneers 21-15 win against the Falcons on Sunday, several Atlanta players expressed frustration with a roughing the passer call on Grady Jarrett that essentially allowed Tampa Bay to run out the clock and seal its win.
Jarrett sacked Bucs quarterback Tom Brady on third down with just over three minutes to play in the game. But instead of forcing Tampa Bay to punt from near midfield, the penalty gave Brady and his offense a first down at the Atlanta 32 yard line.
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Following the game, referee Jerome Boger explained the call to a pool reporter.
“What I had was a defender grabbed the quarterback while he was still in the pocket and unnecessarily throwing him to the ground,” Boger said. “That is what I was making my decision based upon.”
Falcons players did not hide their frustrations with the call following the game.
“It was crazy because it was just a regular sack,” Falcons running back Caleb Huntley said. “It wasn’t anything extra on Grady’s part, but I guess the referee saw it the other way. Had we got the ball, we probably wouldn’t be sitting in here sad and mad about the outcome of this game.”
Atlanta’s defensive players echoed the running back.
“Obviously, from my vantage point, it looked like it was a bad call, but that’s why you put the refs out there to make these calls,” Falcons cornerback Casey Hayward said. “They pay these guys to make these calls. It looked bad from my standpoint, but I was in the back end.”
Falcons safety Erik Harris added: “They made a call and they rode with it. Obviously the situation like that, it hurts. We’re upset about it, but it is what it is, move forward.”
The loss dropped Atlanta to 2-3 on the season. Tampa Bay improved to 3-2.
(Photo: Matt Pendleton / USA Today)
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