In a thrilling Thursday night matchup between the Buccaneers and the Falcons, a critical holding penalty against center Graham Barton of the Buccaneers proved to be a turning point in the game. This penalty set the stage for the Falcons’ game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter, a drive that could have been avoided if officials had also called a foul on the Falcons.
On the play in question, Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving’s facemask was grabbed, a clear violation that should have resulted in an offsetting penalty and a replayed down. However, facemask penalties are not subject to booth review and cannot be reviewed through replay assistance, much to the frustration of Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.
“Hopefully we can get to that and we’re trying to get to that right there,” Bowles expressed to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. “I think it should be reviewed from the top or at least be reviewed by the coaches, if anything else so they don’t miss much calls.”
Bowles, who was recently named to the NFL’s Competition Committee, is in a prime position to advocate for changes to the rules, including the review process for facemask penalties. While any changes may come too late to affect Thursday’s game, Bowles is determined to push for improvements to ensure fairness and accuracy in future matchups.