The Chargers are in La La Land following this call.
LA tied AFC West rival Denver with 19 seconds remaining in regulation on Sunday, but instead of being content with heading for overtime, Drew Lock and the Broncos called one last play. And, boy, did it pay off.
Lock threw a deep ball to wideout Courtland Sutton, and Chargers defensive back Casey Hayward was flagged for pass interference. The penalty put the Broncos in field goal range, and Brandon McManus nailed the kick from 53 yards out as time expired to give Denver its fourth win of the season.
How y’all feeling about this Casey Hayward pass interference on Courtland Sutton? #Broncos #Chargers pic.twitter.com/avKazDRLv8
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) December 2, 2019
NFL vice president of officiating Al Riveron explained that Hayward cut off Sutton, resulting in pass interference.
Al Riveron explains the ruling on the field of defensive pass interference in #LACvsDEN: pic.twitter.com/IJH2X5wXNk
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) December 2, 2019
Because the call was made inside two minutes, Chargers coach Anthony Lynn could not challenge it, and the play did not got to booth review.
NFL DRAFT ORDER: Where Broncos, Chargers stood heading into game
"The explanation was, we made contact with the receiver too soon. I didn't see it that way," Lynn told reporters postgame. "Well, it's frustrating to fight back and give yourself a chance to win a game, and have the game end on a play like that — it's very frustrating."
Hayward also disagreed with the call:
Casey Hayward: “I thought it was a no-call. I thought the ball was uncatchable. I thought I was trying to find the ball myself. I think I have the same right to the ball that he do. But he made the call. We live with it.” https://t.co/tokxpY0jYx
— Jeff Miller (@JeffMillerLAT) December 2, 2019
Denver's fourth win of the year was also the rookie Lock's first in the NFL in his starting debut. The Chargers fell to 4-8.
