Grady Jarrett “excessively” threw Tom Brady, according to ref. NFL

Were Falcons deprived of a potentially historic comeback in broad daylight?

Atlanta tries to put up 21 points in the fourth quarter on the road vs Buccaneersdefender Grady Jarrett was called for questionable rough handling of a passer penalty on a third down sack Tom Brady 3:03 left. Atlanta cut Tampa Bay’s lead to one point on a penalty kick and had a chance to take the lead on another possession.

When asked about the penalty after the game, referee Jerome Boger said Jarrett “needlessly” threw Brady to the ground.

“What I had was the quarterback grabbed the quarterback while he was still in the pocket and threw him to the ground unnecessarily,” Boger said, according to the pool report. “I made my decision based on that.”

When asked whether head injury suffered from Miami Dolphins defender Tua Tagavailoa in Week 4 influenced Jarrett’s penalty, Boger said “no, not necessarily.”

Atlanta never regained possession after the penalty as the Buccaneers ran out the clock 21-15 victory The Falcons fell to 2-3, while the Buccaneers improved to 3-2, taking sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

Jarrett finished the game with three tackles, two QB hits and one sack destroyed by a penalty. Brady completed 35 of 52 passes for 351 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. With the win, the seven-time Super Bowl champions avoided their first three-game losing streak in 20 years.