The Carolina Panthers may feel like they’re up against two teams on Saturday – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Brad Allen’s officiating staff.
Sunday’s 16-14 loss at Raymond James Stadium was marred by some questionable calls from the referees. From a confusing backhand pass result to two questionable pass interference penalties, the Panthers were thwarted by their fair share of bad calls.
Head coach Dave Canales was asked if he had received an explanation for the ruling.
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“I did. I really don’t want to talk about it because we just didn’t play well enough offensively,” Canales said. “We didn’t get our running game going and it was a bad day on third down — it didn’t give us an opportunity to extend the drive and really have a balanced offense.
“Some guys missed opportunities. So it’s really up to us and execution and all of us to make sure we’re in the right place at the right time.”
Canales was then asked if he thought the calls had an impact on the outcome.
“Of course it’s a factor,” he replied. “But at the same time, we have to look at the whole game and we didn’t do enough. That’s what we have to look at – ourselves and what we missed.”
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To be fair, the referees missed it, too – perhaps most notably on Young’s backward pass. The referees called the play out after the throw but still tagged the Panthers with a six-yard loss, saying the ball went out of bounds. (This is not the case.)
Quarterback Bryce Young explained his thinking at the time.
“Yeah, I was confused at first, just because we were pushed back,” Yang told reporters. “They didn’t tell us anything. Now, we’re just in a different position.”
Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was also involved in one of the odd calls, as he was flagged for a very minor offensive pass interference, which erased a huge 31-yard gain. He was also asked about officiating.
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“I kind of wanted to be aggressive in this game and I did that on certain plays,” the rookie said in the locker room. “I guess that didn’t work out.”
The Panthers’ playoff hopes now depend on the outcome of tomorrow’s game between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. If Atlanta wins or ties, Carolina will clinch the NFC South and a playoff spot.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wired: Panthers question refs over controversial call in loss to Buccaneers
