Tom Brady has never lost in his NFL career to the Falcons, and his spotless record certainly got some help during Sunday’s Week 5 game against Atlanta.
With the Falcons rallying in the second half from a 21-point deficit, the Buccaneers were facing third and five around midfield. The Falcons needed a stop, and it appeared they got just that.
Grady Jarrett broke from the outside and got to Brady for the sack. He wrapped Brady up around the hips and pulled him to the ground. There was no excessive contact, the hit wasn’t high or below the knees. It appeared to be a textbook tackle.
Yet, referee Jerome Boger called Jarrett for roughing the passer. Take a look:
refs called this roughing the passer on 3rd down and i genuinely do not know what Grady Jarrett could have done differently pic.twitter.com/VX6i0UpJiL
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) October 9, 2022
We’ve seen quite a few questionable roughing calls over the years, but you’re not going to see many as bad as that one. There was no justification for the call, especially with the game on the line.
With the first down, the Bucs were able to run out the clock and win, 21-15. NFL were furious about the call.