DENVER (AP) — Devon Key knew the football didn't hit the ground.
He alertly crouched and grabbed the ball after Bryce Young's pass to the left corner of the end zone twice hit Tommy Tremble in the hands, the second time bouncing off his right wrist while the tight end was flat on his back after getting clobbered by linebacker Justin Strnad.
“My initial reaction was like, ‘OK, turn and run,’” recounted Key, Denver's backup safety and All-Pro special
teams ace. “And then they were blowing the whistle and I was like, OK, I'll just move on to the next play. Can't worry about that last one."
So much for his first career interception, he figured — especially after Young took the subsequent snap on second-and-goal from the 1 and handed off to Chuba Hubbard, who was stuffed for no gain.
Hold on!
Lots of whistles. The officials huddled.
With some help from NFL headquarters, they determined that Broncos coach Sean Payton had thrown the red challenge flag a split second before the ball was snapped.
And replays confirmed Key's improbable interception on the previous play, the turning point in Denver's 26-21 escape from the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, their NFL record-setting 16th consecutive one-score win.
The Broncos (7-2) have won five times by one score this season after going 11-2 in tight games last year.
“We’ve been in those games multiple times,” Key said. “We just know what to expect. I wouldn’t say it’s luck."
And yet ...
In three of the Broncos' wins this season, against the Panthers, Chiefs and Rams, Denver has benefited from a crucial late call by the officials that played a major role in the outcome.
The Broncos held on to beat the Rams 30-26 in Week 3 after a defensive pass interference call negated cornerback Josh Wallace's interception with just over a minute remaining. The league later said that ruling was incorrect.
Some suggested it was comeuppance for Sean McVay and the Rams, who got away with a blatant pass interference call in the NFC championship in 2018 that kept Payton’s New Orleans Saints out of the Super Bowl.
“Well, Coach Payton finally got his P.I. call!” former Rams star Andrew Whitworth posted on X that night. “I say we call it even.”
Not so fast.
“Well this is years later, so a completely different game, different players,” Payton said in September. “... The longer you get in this thing, the less you discuss penalties. You just got to go out and play. I’ve yet to see one get changed either way. You hope that when the game’s over with, the season’s over with, you’re on the positive side of the ledger.”
And the Broncos are definitely on the positive side so far this season.
A week ago, the Broncos held off the Chiefs 28-24 thanks to a false start by Kansas City right tackle Jaylon Moore that wiped out Patrick Mahomes' winning touchdown throw to Rashee Rice on fourth-and-goal from the 1 as time expired. The Chiefs were pushed back 5 yards and on the do-over, Malcolm Roach sacked Mahomes, who complained afterward that Moore's movement was so slight as to not merit a flag in that crucial situation.
On Sunday, the reversal on Key's interception sparked the Broncos, who trailed 14-13 at the time, to yet another one-score win, this one breaking the Indianapolis Colts' record of 15 consecutive one-score victories set in 2008-09.
“It was huge,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “I mean, flip the fields completely.”
For the second time in a month, Dan Quinn's Washington Commanders had a head-scratching end-of-game sequence that raised questions about coaching and execution.
Washington didn’t throw one pass into the end zone on two plays from the Rams 31-yard line in the Commanders' 20-13 loss. Instead of a Hail Mary on the final play, Jayden Daniels threw a check down to tight end Chig Okonkwo, who was immediately tackled.
It was reminiscent of Week 5 when the Commanders inexplicably ran the clock out on themselves in field-goal range and had to settle for a tie against the Giants.
Bengals running back Samaje Perine was mid-run in the closing minutes of Cincinnati's 34-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons when a brief blackout at the famed $2 billion Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, cast a shadow over the NFL's latest international showcase.
The officials ruled the run didn't count, and Perine took the next handoff from Joe Burrow and burst through for a 14-yard gain before the Bengals went into victory formation.
Fortunately for everyone it didn't come at a more crucial juncture of the game.
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Behind the Call analyzes the biggest decisions in the NFL.
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