The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were unable to come away with their third victory on Sunday, instead losing to the New Orleans Saints by the score of 35-28, after the team was unable to force overtime on the final play of the game.
Saints vs. Buccaneers, Week 7: Late, but correct, call costs Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay jumped out to an early 14-0 lead over New Orleans, but Saints quarterback Drew Brees played a first half for the ages and gave his team the lead in what seemed like no time.
While Brees finished with 377 yards and 4 touchdowns, it almost wasn't enough on Sunday as Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman also had a field day.
Freeman threw for 420 yards and 3 touchdowns, but those numbers could have been even better if it weren’t for an illegal contact penalty on the final play of the game, overturning what would have been the game-tying touchdown to an incomplete pass.
While no one wants to lose in that fashion, Sander Philipse of SB Nation’s Buccaneers blog, Bucs Nation, explains why the call was correct.
The play may look like it should somehow count for the Buccaneers - but it was called correctly. That call ended the game. None of that would have been necessary had the Bucs simply put the game away earlier, had gotten a stop in the first half, or had scored from the one-yard line on one of four downs after a 95-yard Vincent Jackson catch.
Tampa Bay will look to bounce back and do so quickly, as they prepare for their Thursday Night Football showdown with the Minnesota Vikings.
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