So why was Adam Thielen's touchdown catch in the Carolina Panthers' second quarter unsuccessful? Did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers actually make a touchdown catch? Well, the NFL didn't have the resources for that, big man.
As the first half of Sunday's NFC South showdown came to a close, quarterback Bryce Young fired a great ball into the end zone and right into the hands of his top receiver. And while Thielen wasn't able to make the cleanest of catches at first, he certainly seemed to be able to complete the connection and get both his knee and elbow into the field. . .
This is a touchdown catch by Adam Thielen.
Originally classified as incomplete but is currently under review.
– Blego (@BlegoBro)
Nevertheless, and to the shock and dismay of many, the referees ruled the game incomplete – even with the help of a replay review.
However, this replay evaluation didn't seem to help the officials much.
Here, with kind permission from The athletic one“Joe Person,” NFL replay manager Mark Butterworth said of the call afterward:
Transcript of the pool report with replay manager Mark Butterworth, who noted that this game did not have as many cameras as others.
— Joe Person (@josephperson)
The ruling led to a fourth-and-3 play for the Panthers, who settled for three points for a field goal instead of six, seven or eight points for a touchdown.
Considering the game went into overtime and was decided by a three-point Buccaneers walk-off field goal, that's a pretty important play that doesn't have enough cameras to cover it.
