The Denver Broncos rallied to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in a "Sunday Night Football" classic in Week 3, but the 30-26 victory was not without controversy. Bo Nix lunged across the goal line with 47 seconds remaining to put the Broncos on top with the third lead change of the fourth quarter. The Rams, however, have good reason to believe the opposing quarterback should never have been in position to make that game-winning play.
A controversial pass interference call earlier in the drive changed the course of the fateful possession. On third-and-6 from the Rams' 11-yard line, Nix threw a short pass toward Pat Bryant on the right sideline. Through mutual contact, Rams cornerback Josh Wallace made a tremendous play on the ball to haul it in, get both feet down in bounds and complete an interception.
An official threw a flag for pass interference on Wallace, though, which not only negated the turnover but also set the Broncos up with a first down on the doorstep of the end zone. The extension of the drive led to that Nix touchdown sneak, which proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. The officiating crew flagged Wallace for pass interference, seemingly because he had one hand on Bryant while the ball was in the air.
The crew determined that he made enough contact to disrupt Bryant's ability to make a play on the ball, but closer examination of the play shows a gray area in that interpretation. While Wallace made contact with the receiver, it is questionable whether it was forceful enough to impact the play. Bryant may have embellished the extent of the contact as the ball approached him.
Furthermore, Bryant initiated simultaneous contact with Wallace when he grabbed onto the defensive back's shoulder. "We actually see the receiver grab the defender and pulling on him. I don't see the defender do anything that significantly hinders the receiver on this play," NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay said.
"There's hands on him, but he doesn't do anything with them." NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay did not believe Rams CB Josh Wallace should have been flagged for pass interference, in what may have otherwise been an interception. The Broncos went on to score what would serve as the game-winning TD. pic.twitter.com/A0YDJ8ZmZl It took six more snaps following the penalty, but the Broncos advanced the necessary 7 yards to cross the goal line and score the go-ahead touchdown. They again nearly had to settle for a game-tying field goal attempt, but an illegal use of hands to the face penalty against the Rams on third-and-goal from the 5 gave them another fresh set of downs at the 2.
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