League source says referees blew safety call

Dolphins should’ve gotten 2 points for sack against Bucs.

Yes, it was a safety. Officials blew the call when Dolphins defensive tackle Jordan Phillips was not credited for a safety when he sacked Tampa Bay’s Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sunday.

Tony Corrente’s officiating crew was incorrect in ruling that Fitzpatrick’s forward progress carried him out of the end zone before he was tackled by Phillips, a league source told The Post on Tuesday.

On a third-and-17 play from the Tampa Bay 8-yard line with 9:36 remaining, Fitzpatrick dropped to pass but was pushed backward by teammate Demar Dotson, a guard, which may have confused the officials. Because Fitzpatrick was hit by his own man, the play remained alive, with forward progress still to be determined. Phillips then took advantage by dragging Fitzpatrick down in the end zone.

Officials huddled and ruled Fitzpatrick down between the goal line and the 1-yard line, a call that was challenged by Dolphins coach Adam Gase.

Upon review, the call was allowed to stand, which, ironically, was the correct thing to do at that point. Here’s why: First, the league did not feel there was a clear cam- era shot taken from the goal line to prove where forward progress was at the time it was established on the field. Although the replay official may have felt it should have been ruled a safety, he had no power to call it that way despite knowing that Fitzpatrick initially was hit by his own man rather than being carried from the 1 into the end zone by an opponent.

Boos rang out throughout Hard Rock Stadium. Many of the Dolphins were left scratching their heads, straddling the fence between objecting to the call but not doing so loudly enough to draw a rebuke from the league. Fans have bombarded message boards protesting the call.

“If you looked at the film, you tell me what you thought,” Phillips said. What did Phillips think? “It doesn’t matter what I think,” Phillips said.

Gase: “I thought it was a safety.”

The Dolphins were down 20-13 at the time and it will be debated whether those two points would have made a difference in the outcome (a 30-20 Tampa Bay victory).

The Dolphins scored a touchdown two possessions later for a 20-all tie, but the Bucs responded with a 58-yard drive for a field goal and a 23-20 lead. A meaningless touchdown occurred on the final play of the game when the Dolphins fumbled a desperation lateral on a kickoff return.