The Los Angeles Chargers' disappointing season continued on Sunday, as they fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 23-20 in controversial fashion.
Late in the fourth quarter, Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward was hit with a 37-yard pass interference penalty that put the Broncos in field-goal range to potentially win the game.
That's exactly what happened, as Brandon McManus booted a 53-yarder to send Denver to a three-point win.
The thing is, a whole lot of people did not think what Hayward did was interference, as he was running in a straight line before Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton ran into him at the end of the play, drawing the flag.
Not only that, but it didn't appear that Drew Lock's throw down the sideline to Sutton was even catchable, and Los Angeles head coach Anthony Lynn was obviously not happy about the call.
“Officials are not perfect, but I did not like that call at the end of the game,” Lynn said, according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. “I don’t think that’s the way you end a football game. To make that call, it’d have to be clear and obvious.”
Afterward, NFL head of officiating Al Riveron said that “the defender cuts off the receiver while the ball is in the air; therefore, it is pass interference.”
Pass interference has always been a hot topic of discussion, but it became even more pronounced ever since last year's NFC Championship Game, so much so that the league instituted a coach's challenge for pass interference calls.
The problem is, a coach can't challenge a play during the final two minutes, so Lynn was left out to dry on Sunday.
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