Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have caught a break during their 21-15 win over the Atlanta Falcons Sunday.
On Tampa Bay’s final drive of the game, Brady snapped the ball on a third-and-5 play and was sacked for a 10-yard loss.
However, officials threw a penalty flag on Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett and called a roughing-the-passer penalty on him.
The replay showed Jarrett with a seemingly normal tackle of Brady.
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The penalty gave the Buccaneers a fresh set of downs and, a few plays later, Brady led the Buccaneers to one more first down on a 9-yard pass to Mike Evans. The pitch and catch helped seal the game for Tampa Bay.
The penalty on Jarrett stirred a debate on social media. If Jarrett’s sack had been allowed, the Falcons might have gotten another opportunity to score. Atlanta had already outscored Tampa Bay 15-0 in the quarter prior to the penalty and was putting heat on Tampa Bay.
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NFL referee Jerome Boger explained to pool reporter Greg Auman of The Athletic why the flag was thrown.
“What I had was the 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.”
Brady was asked about the play too.
“I don’t throw the flags,” he said, via ESPN.
Brady finished with 351 passing yards and a touchdown pass in the win. Tampa Bay took control of first place in the NFC South.
