Written By Intern Gabby
The Bills vs. Buccaneers didn’t end the way we were all hoping it would, but we all saw the missed calls and the penalties called on Buffalo. In the first half, the Bills were playing awful to say the least; scoring only 3 points on offense and allowing 24. However, coming out of halftime, the Buffalo Bills just looked different. Josh Allen began slinging the ball and good things happened.
The Bills flipped the script, outscoring the Bucs 24 to 3 in the second half, forcing the game into overtime. Unfortunately, the Buffalo Bills fell short and so did the referees. The Bills had a total of 7 penalties accounting for 65 yards. The Bucs had a total of 4 penalties which accounted for 24 yards. The referees must’ve followed Tom Brady from New England to Tampa to continue the biased calls that have always been in favor of Brady and his team.
Here are the 5 most important incorrect calls made by the officials during the game.
5: Dane Jackson Called for Pass Interference
With 1v1 coverage on TE Gronkowski, Dane Jackson was called for Defensive Pass Interference. Jackson was cleanly covering Gronkowski with equal pushing back and forth which is completely normal. As a DB should in coverage, Jackson turned his head to prevent the pass interference from being called, however, the penalty was still called. Jackson was being held by Gronkowski wrapping him up on Gronk’s backside. The Bucs were moved up for the spot of the foul penalty pushing them to the Bills 18-yard line. The Bucs then finish the drive with a touchdown making the game 17 – 3.
4: Missed Holding on Bucs
Stefon Diggs was really trying to bring Buffalo back into the game during the second half. Diggs had a slant route in which he broke away from the DB and was open down field. However, there was a blatant hold on the Bucs that the referees did not call. As anyone can clearly see, Diggs was being pulled by his jersey enough to where he believed that he’d get the call. The referees surrounded the play and yet couldn’t come up with the completely obvious call that to benefit the Bills. The Bucs then proceeded to move the ball down the field to convert for a field goal.
3: Levi Wallace Called for Pass Interference
Levi Wallace has been a piece of the Bills defense that can be questioned as inconsistent. Regardless, Wallace has recently stepped up with the injury to Tre’Davious White. On this play, Wallace is being grabbed by Mike Evans who is holding him against his body to try and force the pass interference. Wallace does a great job of playing it out and forcing an incomplete pass. Once again, as a good CB should, Wallace turned his head to ensure that the penalty would be avoided. However, once again, Brady and the Bucs get the call that is swayed to benefit their team. The Bucs were pushed up from their own 16-yard line around their 40-yard line after the penalty.
2: Spot of Football for Bucs on 3rd & 1
The Buffalo Bills rush defense has not been as successful in recent games and in the first half of the game – it continued. The defense stepped it up in the second half, allowing Tom Brady and the Bucs’ offense to only score 3. In overtime, any close decision or call goes straight to the booth for review. Brady on 3rd & 1 handed the ball off to Fournette for an attempt to run up the middle for a first down. The Bills defense was strong up front stopping Fournette before he reached the first down yardage.
The referees on the field were all indecisive and had different views on the spot of the football. One referee automatically started waving that Fournette had reached the first down marker and another was calling him short. The referees eventually went to the booth and showed different angles of where Fournette was stopped, including his forward progression. The ball needed to reach the Bucs 31-yard line and the Bills had stopped him short, however, the call was in favor of Tom Brady and the Bucs. The officials ruled that Fournette reached the first down marker and got enough yardage for the first down. This first down allows the Bucs to continue their drive instead of punting on 4th & short, which would’ve given the ball back to Buffalo in overtime with around 7 minutes remaining.
1: No Pass Interference Called on Stefon Diggs in the End Zone
When it comes to the Bills red zone offense, Josh Allen’s usually looking for one person and one person only. Stefon Diggs. Diggs is a top receiver in the NFL and is respected for his insane route running. On 3rd & Goal, the Bills decide to give Diggs the chance to go on top of the Bucs after getting back into the game 27 – 24. Diggs was 1v1 with the Bucs CB, which is the best case scenario for Buffalo. Part of why Diggs is so successful on 1v1 plays is because of his prolific route running. The pass from JA17 goes incomplete and Diggs immediately turns to the referee looking for a defensive pass interference call.
It became very evident that the Bucs CB was holding Diggs to the point where he pushed him out of his passing lane. They were making it impossible for Stefon Diggs to make a play on the ball. If the Bills get the defensive pass interference call there, they would’ve got the ball on the 2-yard line with a new set of downs to try to get the ball in the end zone with 22 seconds on the clock, possibly giving Buffalo the lead. The referees, however, didn’t give Diggs the call which forced the Bills to tie the game with a Tyler Bass field goal.
The Bills played fantastic in the second half of the game and by no means should it have come down to whether or not penalties were called. However, these specific plays say otherwise. If one play or call was different the whole game could’ve been much different. The referees are there to make sure rules aren’t broken, but when everyone else can see that the penalties are so one-sided, it shows how much officials can really control who wins and who loses.
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4 Responses
What a great article! The facts and photos are all there. Way to go Gabby!!!!
Great article!
Good article. Can we send it to the NFL and their Officials, just to put them on notice that we are ? you!
Good article. Can we send it to the NFL and their Officials just to put them on notice that we are ? you!