Buccaneers Bowles Calls for Rule Changes After Missed Call vs Atlanta

There were several reasons the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Atlanta Falcons Thursday night. Starting with poor clock management by the coaching staff coupled with untimely penalties and the lack of being able to put a team away, coupled with existing and in game injuries, it was an uphill battle that the Bucs couldn’t overcome.

But with all of that the Pewter Pirates still had a chance to put the Falcons away, until they didn’t.

Buccaneers offensive lineman Graham Barton was called for holding on a run play which put the Bucs in a position to hand the ball back to Atlanta who ended up with a game tying drive.

The issue here was, the Falcons clearly should have been flagged for a facemask penalty against Bucky Irving. The team saw it, the fans saw it, even the broadcast team saw it, but the refs didn’t. And that’s a problem, more so a pattern with officiating this year.

This prompted head coach Todd Bowles to weigh in on these missed calls and what he thinks the league should do about it.

“Hopefully we can get to that and we’re trying to get to that right there,” Bowles stated, via ESPN’s Jenna Laine. “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.”

The National Football League has seen a lot of missed calls recently. Obviously the officials can’t see everything, but lately it’s seems they’re missing more than ever before. Bowles comments make clear this isn’t just a “fans are to emotional” thing. This is a head coach, one of the least outspoken ones calling for change. The ball is now in the NFL’s court, hopefully they see how these missed calls could hurt the game long-term. Especially now with the NFL embracing sports betting.