Tampa Bay Buccaneers: What if Bert Emanuel’s catch wasn’t overturned?

First, let’s look back at what actually happened to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for context.

Late in the fourth quarter, after the Rams scored what would be the only touchdown of the game on a gorgeous Kurt Warner touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl of all people, the Buccaneers had a chance to answer, and we’re driving. With 52 seconds left and the ball on the Rams’ 36-yard line, the Buccaneers found themselves with an unfortunate 2nd and 23. Quarterback Shaun King took the snap from shotgun and threw an absolute dart to Bert Emanuel who caught the ball at the Rams’ 23-yard line to set up a manageable 3rd and 10 in four-down territory.

Emanuel hadn’t quite lived up to the hype after he was signed in free agency from the Atlanta Falcons, but at this moment, he came up huge, or so we thought. At the time, the rules stated that if the ball touched the ground at any point, regardless of control, the pass was incomplete. It’s up for debate on whether the ball actually hit the ground, but for what it’s worth the NFL came out after the game and stated that the call was incorrect. Long story short, the Rams stopped the Buccaneers on 3rd and 23 thanks to pressure from Grant Wistrom, then once more on a 4th and 23 hail mary to the end zone that essentially ended the game and the Buccaneers Super Bowl hopes.