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The lack of an extra camera angle may have cost the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a victory — and an all-time great defensive play — in a Week 8 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
After Tampa Bay’s 31-26 loss to the Falcons on October 27, the buzz following the game seemed to center on a play in the second quarter in which Atlanta tight end Kyle Pitts scored a 49-yard touchdown — his second touchdown of the game — until replay appeared to show NFL All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. knock the ball out of Pitts’ hands right before he crossed the goal line.
According to NFL Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira, the call wasn’t able to be overturned because there wasn’t a camera set up right at the goal line.
“(The refs) didn’t have a down the line shot,” Pereira said.
The touchdown tied the score at 14-14.
“Basically, there wasn’t a down the line angle, which potentially screwed the Bucs out of an incredible play,” wrote FanSided’s Josh Hill on his official X account.
Winfield, who signed a 4-year, $84.1 million contract extension in the offseason, made a similar play in 2023 against the Falcons, when he stripped quarterback Desmond Ridder of the ball at the goal line.
“Antoine Winfield got absolutely robbed,” wrote Faceoff Sports Network’s Aaron Schill.
Pitts Torched Buccaneers on National Tight Ends Day
Pitts had arguably the best game of his career against the Buccaneers, finishing with 4 receptions for 91 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns — he also scored the game’s first touchdown on a 36-yard pass from Kirk Cousins in the first quarter.
Pitts was part of a wave of tight ends who had massive games on, if you can believe it, National Tight Ends Day. Tampa Bay tight end Cade Otton also had one of the best games of his career with star wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. out with injuries, coming up with 9 receptions for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, who created the “holiday” in 2018 and designated it as the fourth Sunday in October every year, had 6 receptions for 128 yards and 1 touchdown in a win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce also had a breakout game with 10 receptions for 90 yards and 1 touchdown — his first of the season — in a win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride had 9 receptions for 124 yards in a comeback win over the Miami Dolphins.
“On Sunday, tight ends compiled 177 catches, a single-day record, according to NFL research, and 14 different tight ends found the end zone,” wrote CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles.
Buccaneers Have Bigger Issues Moving Forward
The loss to the Falcons may have just underlined something Buccaneers’ fans have seemed to know since the season started — Tampa Bay has one of the NFL’s worst defenses.
After 8 weeks of the regular season, the Buccaneers’ are ranked 30th out of 32 NFL teams in team defense and are giving up a whopping 387.5 yards per game. The worst 3 defenses in the NFL are all in the NFC South, with Tampa Bay just a hair’s breath ahead of the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints.
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