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Rules Expert Explains Why Refs Couldn't Make Ruling on Controversial Kyle Pitts TD

Antoine Winfield Jr.'s incredible hustle play could not be rewarded.

Liam McKeone

Shades of Ben Watson
Shades of Ben Watson / NFL on FOX
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The Atlanta Falcons scored 24 points in the first half of their divisional clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Kyle Pitts accounted for half of those points, scoring a pair of touchdowns over the opening two quarters in the sort of breakout game fans have been waiting for years to see from the talented pass-catcher.

One of those touchdowns was a near thing, though. With the Falcons down 14-7, Kirk Cousins hit Pitts across the field and everybody watched as the tight end booked it to the end zone for a 49-yard score. The one Buccaneer not watching was All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who did everything in his power to catch up with Pitts. He eventually did and made contact with the ball as Pitts crossed the goal line. At first glance, it was an impressive display of hustle but nothing more.

However, replay showed Winfield was very close to knocking the ball out of Pitts's hands before he crossed the goal line, which would have resulted in a touchback for the Bucs instead of a score for the Falcons. More replays suggested Winfield had actually done so and the touchdown should have been overturned.

However, Fox Sports rules expert Mike Pereria explained that, no matter how close it looked, the play wasn't going to be overturned because there was no goal line angle for the replay officials to look at. Without that, there was no way to say for sure Pitts dropped the ball before the end zone.

A tough sequence for Tampa Bay, but Winfield's best Ben Watson impression will not go unappreciated at the very least.

The Falcons led the Bucs, 24-17, at halftime.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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