In the fourth quarter, with less than four minutes left, Chris Simms threw the perfect pass to Edell Shepherd, appearing to tie the game, 17-17. But the celebration was cut short.
Shepherd brought the pass in, but hadn't secured it as he fell to the ground. Below is the rule evoked by the umpire on the field, which was upheld over coach John Gruden's challenge:
"A receiver will be credited with a catch if, in the process of attempting to catch the ball, he secures control of the ball prior to it touching the ground and that control is maintained after the ball has touched the ground."
The Bucs lost the game 17-10 to the Washington Redskins who will advance to the next round of the playoffs.
