The NFL apparently told Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay that a crucial pass interference penalty on Josh Wallace, which effectively sealed their 30-26 loss to the Broncos on Sunday night, absolutely shouldn’t have been called.
A Game-Deciding Flag That Was All Wrong
Talk about a gut punch, right? Wallace looked like he had the play of the game late on Sunday, snagging what appeared to be an interception from Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. That pick would’ve given the Rams the ball back on their own 8-yard line, leading 26-23, with just 69 seconds left on the clock. Sure, the Broncos still had three timeouts, but getting the ball back in that spot puts the Rams in prime position to close out the game and grab a critical road win.
Instead, a flag flew. Pass interference on Wallace. Boom, interception negated. That handed the Broncos a first-and-goal, and you know what happened next: go-ahead touchdown, and the win. It totally flipped the script. Even NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay thought that call was off, and watching it back, you can totally see why it was so questionable. A closer look undoubtedly put that call into serious question in real time, and the league apparently agrees.
McVay’s Measured Reaction to an Unbelievable Admission
So, fast forward to Monday, and McVay drops this bombshell: the league itself told him the call was bad. Unbelievable, right? But then, true to form, McVay isn’t playing the victim card. He said, “It doesn’t really matter. It is what it is. That was the call that was made and there was a lot of opportunities that we had to be able to close the door on that game.” He even added that he wouldn’t change any coaching points for how Wallace played the snap, which speaks volumes about what he thought of the call in real time. He’s clearly not making excuses, despite the league’s admission.
But here’s the kicker: it *does* matter. That phantom call stands. The Rams lost the game and are now sitting at 1-2 on the season. You can talk about having other opportunities all you want, but a game-deciding penalty, acknowledged by the league as wrong, just fundamentally alters a team’s record early in the season. That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially when you’re fighting for every win.
The season keeps rolling, and while McVay wants to move on, you just know that kind of game-altering call, especially when the league cops to it, stings way more than a regular loss. The Rams gotta shake this off fast and get back in the win column to avoid digging too deep a hole. Every game counts, and a W ripped away like that is a tough way to learn it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply