Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts had a long-awaited breakout game in Sunday’s Week 8 matchup against the Buccaneers. He hauled in two touchdowns with 91 receiving yards — a great day overall for him. But it could have gone so differently had the Fox broadcast stationed a camera along the goal line.
Pitts got away with one.
In the second quarter, Pitts scored his second touchdown of the game on an impressive 49-yard catch and run to the end zone. But as the Falcons tight end approached the goal line, he slowed down just enough for Antoine Winfield Jr. to get a hand on the football. The ruling on the field was touchdown, and the only replay angles Fox had were from several yards behind the play.
Fox 13 reporter Sean Barie, though, had the shot. And Bucs fans should probably look away.
I was set up at about the 1.5 yard line during Kyle Pitts' controversial second touchdown.
So here's my view of it. I tried to focus into when I believe the ball started to come out. The more I watch this, the more I think the refs got the call of TD wrong. @FOX13News pic.twitter.com/2kbBhM1Ask
— Sean Barie FOX 13 (@SeanBarieTV) October 27, 2024
While it was super close, we can see that Winfield Jr. knocked the ball loose just before Pitts crossed the plane. And if the officials had that camera look, we probably would have been looking at a touchback for the Bucs instead of a second touchdown for Pitts.
Every NFL game should have a pylon cam, and that play proved why. A lack of camera angles served as a major advantage to the Falcons.
