McVay: NFL told Rams the pass interference on Josh Wallace was a bad call
The Rams coach said the league office confirmed the game-changing penalty that negated a would-be game-clinching interception should not have been flagged
Posted
Sean McVay says the NFL has told the Rams that the pass interference called on cornerback Josh Wallace at the end of Sunday night's loss to the Broncos should not have been thrown.
Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_): Sean McVay said the NFL told him that Josh Wallace should not have been flagged for pass interference at the end of Sunday night's game.
McVay said the league office confirmed during the week that the flag was incorrect. The ruling was enormous: with 1:09 remaining and the Rams leading 26-23, Wallace picked off a pass that would have been a game-sealing interception. Instead, the penalty gave Denver first-and-goal, and the Broncos scored a touchdown to win 30-26.
Wallace did make contact with Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant, though it was the kind of contact that often goes uncalled — and Bryant himself acknowledged he sold the call, saying he felt "a nudge" and flopped enough to draw the flag. Bryant could just as easily have been flagged for offensive pass interference on the play.
For the Rams, the admission is cold comfort. The loss dropped them to 1-2 entering a road game against the Eagles, and McVay's message this week has been about moving forward while the league quietly acknowledges one of the season's biggest officiating moments was a mistake.