Falcons' Grady Jarrett in 'a Lot Disbelief' over Tom Brady Roughing-the-Passer Call
October 11, 2022
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett is still trying to make sense of the roughing-the-passer penalty called against him for sacking Tom Brady late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 21-15 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Appearing on 680 The Fan in Atlanta (h/t ESPN's Michael Rothstein), Jarrett said he was still in "a lot disbelief" at being flagged on the play.
"Just looking back on it, I'm still kind of left clueless," he added. "On what I'm expected to do in that situation."
On third-and-5 with the Bucs trying to get a first down and run out the clock, Jarrett blew past the offensive line and tackled Brady for what looked like a 10-yard loss.
The officials threw a flag for roughing the passer, giving the Buccaneers an automatic first down. They would gain another first down on the drive, allowing Brady to take a knee three times and seal the win for Tampa Bay.
Asked about the penalty after the game, Brady told reporters: "I don’t throw the flags."
Referee Jerome Boger, who called the penalty against Jarrett, attempted to explain why the flag was thrown.
"What I had was the defender grabbed the quarterback while he was still in the pocket, and unnecessarily throwing him to the ground," Boger told reporters on Sunday. "That is what I was making my decision based upon."
In the wake of the Jarrett play and another questionable call during Monday's game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, the Associated Press reported the NFL plans to discuss roughing-the-passer penalties at next week's owners' meetings in New York.
Jarrett told 680 The Fan he thinks it "would be a great step" if the NFL considered adding in-game reviews on roughing the passer penalties.
The Falcons fell to 2-3 following Sunday's controversial loss. Tampa Bay improved to 3-2 and moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC South with the victory.