Controversy broke out late in Sunday’s game between the Falcons and the Buccaneers. Similar to instances in the past, it involved Tom Brady and a head-scratching roughing the passer penalty.
With Tampa Bay leading by six points in the fourth quarter—after being up 21–0 for much of the afternoon—Brady took a snap in shotgun formation and surveyed the field for an open receiver. He was unable to find one, allowing Atlanta defensive tackle Grady Jarrett to break through the offensive line and have a clean shot at the Bucs quarterback.
Jarrett brought Brady to the ground with ease, rolling him over in what appeared to be a rather tame sack. However, after a brief discussion between head referee Jerome Boger and the rest of his crew, Jarrett was flagged for roughing the passer.
The penalty nullified the sack and gave Brady’s Buccaneers a free 15 yards and a fresh first down. Tampa Bay went on to convert two more first downs, allowing Brady to kneel out the clock and escape with a 21–15 win.
Given Brady’s penchant for attracting controversy when it comes to roughing the passer calls, social media erupted with questions about how and why the play was penalized. Analysts, former players and more took to Twitter to hypothesize about whether or not they had just witnessed one of the worst penalties in recent NFL history.
When asked his thoughts on the roughing the passer call, Brady responded in part: “I don’t throw the flags,” according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington.
Controversy aside, Tampa Bay came out on top when the final whistle sounded. The Buccaneers improved to 3–2 with the win Sunday, while the Falcons dropped back to 2–3.
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