VIDEO: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Got Screwed After Refs Refused To Review Crucial Mike Evans Catch vs. Browns

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dropped a heartbreaker on Sunday to the Cleveland Browns, 23-17 in overtime, which dropped them to 5-6 on the year.

It’s never good to strictly blame the refs for a loss, but Buccaneers fans have reason to be frustrated over the lack of a booth review on a Mike Evans catch that was ruled incomplete.

There is plenty of blame to go around for the loss. The Buccaneers offense mustered just 17 points against one of the NFL’s worst teams. The stingy defense couldn’t get one last stop with the game on the line in the final minute, and the clock management at the end of the fourth quarter was rather mind-boggling.

Facing a 2nd-and-10 situation at the Cleveland 30 with one minute remaining, Tom Brady attempted a deep pass down the sidelines to star receiver Mike Evans. The pass was ruled incomplete, but if you look closely, it looked as though Evans got both feet in bounds.

Because it was after the two-minute warning, Tampa Bay was unable to challenge the call. But the officials should have conducted a booth review anyway, seeing how close the play was.

Was there a reason this @MikeEvans13_ catch was not reviewed? It was under 2 minutes before halftime so nothing Bowles could do. How do you not peep a 2nd look? It is clear he gets both feet in — whether he maintained possession would have been the discussion. #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/JYHUUim9h9

— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) November 28, 2022

The Buccaneers wound up having to settle on a game-tying field goal from Ryan Succop, as opposed to potentially getting a fresh set of downs inside the Cleveland five. If the officials review and rule it a catch, there’s a good chance Tampa Bay gets the go-ahead touchdown, and they likely prevent overtime and hold on for a close win.

Again, it’s not fair to blame this loss entirely on the lack of a booth review on the Evans catch, because there’s plenty of blame to go around for the loss. The Buccaneers offense mustered just 17 points against one of the NFL’s worst teams. The stingy defense couldn’t get one last stop with the game on the line in the final minute, and the clock management at the end of the fourth quarter was simply mind-boggling.

The Buccaneers have lost six of nine games since starting out a perfect 2-0. The good news? They still lead the awful NFC South with a 5-6 record, and they can retain first place with a win over the New Orleans Saints next Monday.

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