01-04-2026, 10:33 AM
Anyone happen to catch the absolute incompetence of Brad Allen’s officiating crew in the Bucs/Panthers game? I don’t like to bag on referees and don’t subscribe to conspiracy theories, but in a game where I had no dog in the fight, this was the worst display of one-sided officiating I’ve seen since Vikings/Saints NFCC. Because it was not one call; because it was not just judgment issues; and because it was so one-sided.
Four plays particularly stood out, all critical in what turned out to be a 2-point Bucs win. Google it and you can watch the plays, all fairly ridiculous. Two were particularly egregious because they are hard to explain. In the first, a Panther is being facemasked and has his helmet ripped off his head and tossed several yards down field. No call. The second is hard to fathom: Bryce Young throws a swing pass to Rico Dowdle, the ball hits the turf and Dowdle scoops up the ball and the whistle blows with the referee signaling incomplete pass. Play is dead. Next, the refs announce (with no aid of review or suggestion of replay assist) that it was a backwards pass and the ball went out of bounds — loss of 7 yards putting the Panthers behind the sticks at 2nd and 17 and out of fg range. The Panthers can’t convert on the drive and miss a long fg attempt in a game they lose by 2. But here’s the thing — the ball never went out of bounds. The play ends with Dowdle holding the ball in both hands, upset he didn’t make the catch. With whistles blowing and the nearest ref signaling an incomplete pass, Dowdle hands the ball to the referee. Just mind-blowing, and if you are a Carolina fan, you must be apoplectic. How the refs could get this so wrong, how replay assist didn’t step in to get this right in a game for the final playoff spot in the NFC … just terrible.
Four plays particularly stood out, all critical in what turned out to be a 2-point Bucs win. Google it and you can watch the plays, all fairly ridiculous. Two were particularly egregious because they are hard to explain. In the first, a Panther is being facemasked and has his helmet ripped off his head and tossed several yards down field. No call. The second is hard to fathom: Bryce Young throws a swing pass to Rico Dowdle, the ball hits the turf and Dowdle scoops up the ball and the whistle blows with the referee signaling incomplete pass. Play is dead. Next, the refs announce (with no aid of review or suggestion of replay assist) that it was a backwards pass and the ball went out of bounds — loss of 7 yards putting the Panthers behind the sticks at 2nd and 17 and out of fg range. The Panthers can’t convert on the drive and miss a long fg attempt in a game they lose by 2. But here’s the thing — the ball never went out of bounds. The play ends with Dowdle holding the ball in both hands, upset he didn’t make the catch. With whistles blowing and the nearest ref signaling an incomplete pass, Dowdle hands the ball to the referee. Just mind-blowing, and if you are a Carolina fan, you must be apoplectic. How the refs could get this so wrong, how replay assist didn’t step in to get this right in a game for the final playoff spot in the NFC … just terrible.
