NBC rules analyst: Refs blew critical call in Rams-Broncos

Sunday night's wild showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos came down to the final play, with Denver pulling out a come-from-behind 30-26 win. Former NFL ref and current NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay believes the Broncos were aided by an officiating miscue on their previous possession.

Trailing 26-23 and facing 3rd-and-6 from the Rams' 11-yard line with 1:15 to play, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was intercepted by Los Angeles ' Josh Wallace , seemingly sealing the victory for the visitors. However, Wallace was called for a controversial defensive pass interference penalty, which extended the drive and led to Nix's game-winning touchdown run moments later.

On the broadcast, McAulay, who worked in the NFL from 1998-2017, made it clear he didn't think Wallace interfered with Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant .

"As we get towards the end, we actually see the receiver grab the defender and pull in on him," McAulay said. "I don't see the defender do anything that significantly hinders the receiver on this play."

"Even the first part of it when he contacts Bryant?" asked play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico.

"Even the first part. There's just hands on him, he doesn't do anything with them," McAulay responded.

McAulay also said he believed the play should have been ruled an interception.

"If the knee gets down, yes. If two feet are down, yes. I absolutely—that's what I see," he explained, to which game analyst Cris Collinsworth agreed."

Rams head coach Sean McVay said postgame he believed Wallace's coverage "looked like it was a good, competitive play from my vantage point."

As for Wallace, who recorded an interception earlier in the contest, he didn't have much to say about the penalty when asked.

"It's tough," Wallace said . "I felt like we stopped them a couple of times. Just got to keep playing at the end of the day."

The Broncos moved to 2-1 on the season while the Rams fell to 1-2.