The Falcons mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers and it looked like they would get a chance to win the game when Grady Jarrett sacked Tom Brady on a third down with three minutes left to play.
While most people watching the game saw nothing unusual or illegal about Jarrett tackling a quarterback who had the ball, referee Jerome Boger saw things differently. He called Jarrett for roughing the passer and explained the call was because he believed Jarrett was guilty of “unnecessarily throwing” Brady to the ground.
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said he would “not get into” his feelings about the call beyond wanting to know how he is supposed to “coach the situation better.” Cornerback Casey Hayward joined other players in voicing frustration and the belief that the Falcons need to do more to avoid being in a position where officials can impact the game with a single call.
“It’s frustrating, but at the end of the day we have to put ourselves in a better situation to go out there and win those games without those calls,” Hayward said, via the team’s website. “We’ve gotta put ourselves in better situations to start. We started too slow.”
Coaches and players often talk about needing to control the things they can control during games. The Falcons thought Jarrett did that on Sunday, but the flag left them with little to do but lament how long it took them to get going in Tampa.