The Falcons handed the Bucs a tough 36-30 overtime loss. While it was just their second defeat of the season, Tampa’s not taking it well. Words like ‘robbed’ and ‘undeserved’ are flying among the fans—and can you blame them? Especially as a missed facemask call essentially sealed the deal for Atlanta. Now, even Coach Todd Bowles is demanding a change in the system.

You can’t help but wonder, how does a call like that get missed when the game is on the line? Bowles didn’t hold back, saying, “I think it should be reviewed from the top… Or at least by the coaches.” Now part of the NFL’s competition committee, Bowles aims to change how facemask calls are handled and hopes coaches will have more say in what gets reviewed.

While we are at it, let’s see what the outage is all about here. It started with the Falcons LB Kaden Elliss yanking Bucky Irving down by his facemask after a 7-yard run, with 1:39 left on the clock. The Bucs were up 30-27, looking to ice the game. And then just when you’d think the flag was for the facemask, right? Nope—holding on to the Bucs. And that was it.

That penalty pushed Tampa out of the FG range, turning what should’ve been a second and 13 into a second and 23. A total momentum killer. They punted, and you know how it ended—the Falcons drove right into position for a field goal, forcing OT. Could the Bucs have won it if the call had gone their way? It’s anyone’s guess. But it’s tough not to think about what could’ve been.

And if that wasn’t enough, Rachaad White had his own beef with the refs. He believed he was hit with a hip-drop tackle, which the NFL is cracking down on this season.“I’m mad,” White said, clearly biting his tongue to avoid a fine. “It is what it is. I ain’t trying to get fined.” You can’t blame him, though—back-to-back controversial non-calls? It’s hard to shake off.

But is it all down to these calls that the Bucs lost? Well, that would be easy. Don’t worry, Todd Bowles also wished for something his team could have done to avoid the defeat.

Todd Bowles believes it’s a team effort, not one’s mistake!

A game of ‘could haves’, ‘should haves’, and ‘would haves’. The Bucs’ overtime loss to the Falcons stings, no doubt about it. But when you give up 509 passing yards to Kirk Cousins, there were plenty of chances to turn the game around. Sure, the missed facemask call hurt, but as Todd Bowles put it, “We had an opportunity to win it in every facet of the ballgame.”

Tampa Bay, now 3-2, is coming off a strong start, but a string of close calls has shaken their early momentum. And let’s be real, you can’t blame it all on one play. Todd Bowles isn’t here to point fingers, though. After all, it’s never just one play that defines a game. He emphasized, standing firm, that special teams and defense also had chances to seal the deal, saying, “It was a team effort.”

Sloppy tackling and some missed opportunities let Atlanta hang around long enough to force OT, where KhaDarel Hodge’s 45-yard TD sealed the win for the Falcons. You’ve gotta wonder, how different would this game have been with just one more key stop? You may be wondering about the offense. And we’ll say it was decent.

Baker Mayfield played his part, throwing three touchdowns with no interceptions, while Mike Evans hauled in two of those TD passes. The offense held a three-point lead for most of the fourth quarter. But couldn’t quite run out the clock. Frustrating? Absolutely. But Bowles is still optimistic. “We’ll get better at that as a team,” he said, signaling there’s plenty to build on.

So, what’s next for Tampa? As Mayfield put it bluntly, “All I care about is wins.” The Buccaneers have a shot to bounce back next week against the Saints. But the question remains: will they find that finishing touch, or let another one slip away?