DENVER — In a Broncos Rams thriller, Denver rallied for a 30-26 win Sunday night after a controversial defensive pass interference penalty erased a late Rams interception and set up the game-winning score.
Broncos receiver Pat Bryant acknowledged he embellished contact on the key third-and-6 play from the Los Angeles 11 with 1:15 to go, a call that wiped out what would have been Rams cornerback Josh Wallace’s second interception. Three snaps later and after additional Rams penalties, rookie quarterback Bo Nix stretched the ball over the goal line for the go-ahead touchdown with 47 seconds remaining.
Controversy defines Broncos Rams thriller
“I sold it just a little bit,” Bryant said after the game. Replays showed hand-fighting and a quick shove to Bryant’s back by Wallace as both moved toward the sideline before Wallace secured Nix’s pass while falling out of bounds. The flag for defensive pass interference brought the ball to the 7.
On the NBC broadcast, rules analyst Terry McAulay said he saw the receiver grab the defender late and did not believe the defender significantly hindered the route. Pass interference is not reviewable, leaving the judgment call to stand. The sequence reignited debate among NFL fans a day that also featured a hotly discussed DPI on Nate Wiggins in the Ravens-Cowboys finish in Rio de Janeiro.
Broncos coach Sean Payton said on Monday that such theatrics are not coached. “We’re not at that soccer level yet,” he said with a laugh, adding that it is more a natural reaction than something practiced.
The Rams were flagged 13 times to Denver’s five. After the DPI, Los Angeles safety Quentin Lake drew an illegal use of hands penalty on third down to give Denver a first at the 2, and defensive lineman Kobie Turner was called for encroachment inside the 1.
Those miscues in the final minute moved the ball inches from the goal line, leading to Nix’s decisive reach across the plane.
Denver sealed the victory when safety Talanoa Hufanga intercepted Matthew Stafford in the end zone as time expired, his second pick of the night.
Amid criticism that Los Angeles was robbed, Rams coach Sean McVay declined to escalate the issue. “I’m not going to play the victim card,” he said Monday. “It is what it is. That was the call that was made.”
The ending stirred memories of the 2018 NFC championship, when a missed pass interference helped McVay’s Rams beat Sean Payton’s Saints and reach the Super Bowl. Former Rams lineman Andrew Whitworth posted, “Well, Coach Payton finally got his P.I. call! I say we call it even.”
Payton was not interested in relitigating history. He said penalties even out over time and that dwelling on officiating does not change outcomes. “You just got to go out and play,” he said. “I’ve yet to see one get changed either way.”
The Broncos, now on the positive side of a razor-thin decision, left with a win, while the Rams were left to rue penalties and a pivotal flag that swung a primetime classic.
