NFL officials have a lot to monitor during a game, so unfortunately, penalties and missed calls sometimes slip through the cracks.
Rarely do you see one as blatant as a potential running into the kicker penalty that wasn’t called during Sunday’s game between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With a little under five minutes left in the game, the NFC South rivals were tied 20-20 when Tampa Bay punted the ball away from their own 30-yard line when penalty flags flew. Panthers returner Trevor Etienne returned the ball to their own 17-yard line as everyone waited to hear the penalty call.
Fox broadcasters Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth predicted the call would be a running into the kicker, as a Carolina defender appeared to hit punter Riley Dixon after the kick. However, after much discussion, the referees announced a holding penalty on the Buccaneers, resulting in an additional 10 yards for the Panthers to begin their drive.
Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira points out that officials in Bucs-Panthers missed a running into the kicker penalty due to their focus on a holding call. pic.twitter.com/pfZJfEG3dL
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 21, 2025
Following a commercial break, Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira joined the broadcast and said that he thought the officials were so focused on the hold that they missed the obvious running into the kicker penalty.
“Clearly it was a hold, but I think when you fixate yourself watching the hold, maybe you miss that contact on the punter,” he said. “It’s contact to the body. I would have had running into the kicker.”
Pereira then explained that it would have made a difference because it would have given the Buccaneers five yards and a chance to rekick. Instead, the Panthers not only got the ball but earned 10 extra yards.
That made a huge difference in the end, as the Panthers kicked a field goal to take a 23-20 lead with a little over two minutes remaining and never relinquished it.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.