It should be so simple. A player breaks free from the defense and runs all the way into the end zone. But time and time again, we see players slow down — unaware of the pursuing defender — or drop the ball before the goal line.
Kyle Pitts nearly served as the latest example of that on Sunday.
During the Falcons’ Week 8 game against their NFC South rival Buccaneers, Pitts broke free through the secondary for a 49-yard touchdown. It shouldn’t have even been in doubt, but keep an eye on Pitts as he approached the goal line. It sure looked like Antoine Winfield Jr. got a hand on that football, knocking it loose just before the end zone.
Kyle Pitts 49-yard TOUCHDOWN. #NationalTightEndsDay
📺: #ATLvsTB on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/GTk6Nm51LJ— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
Now, the ruling on the field was a touchdown, and that’s likely what saved Pitts from an embarrassing blunder. The Fox broadcast didn’t have a camera placed directly on the goal line. It didn’t have a pylon cam, and goal-line tech was tabled after testing in the preseason.
The closest replay Fox had made it look like that Pitts fumbled early, but the angle had it impossible to tell for certain.
Pitts should be thankful for that one. It was his second touchdown of the day.
