Bryce Young, Sean Payton Discuss Broncos' End-Zone INT, Challenge vs. Panthers

A controversial moment came in the third quarter of Sunday's matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers when Broncos head coach Sean Payton was granted a challenge after throwing his challenge flag at the last second.

Bryce Young's throw toward the end zone appeared to be intercepted after being tipped, but it was initially ruled incomplete. The Panthers then attempted to get their next play off, but Payton was granted a challenge.

Payton broke down the play from his point of view afterwards.

"So it comes kind of late, and I just gave [director of game management/assistant quarterbacks] Evan [Rothstein] a game ball," Payton told reporters . "That was a hard one for any one of us to see, and my concern was: Was anyone able to see that I threw it before the play was snapped? And fortunately, New York can."

Young, meanwhile, said his team should "never be relying on the refs."

Panthers head coach Dave Canales said after the game that the referees confirmed to him that Payton did throw the challenge flag before the snap.

"I gotta go from their word," Canales said. "You know, I don't have that at my disposal, but they did confirm that he got the flag off."

Had Payton not been granted the challenge, Sunday's game could have gone much differently.

The Panthers would have had the ball at Denver's 1-yardline while leading 14-13. They likely could have punched the ball in or at least gotten a field goal to extend the lead, but instead lost the ball in a crucial moment.

The Broncos then marched down the field and scored to take a 19-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. A Panthers three-and-out on the following drive set up another score for Denver to make it a 26-14 game.

The Panthers scored on the following drive to get a bit closer, but fumbled on their final offensive drive and allowed Denver to run the clock down.

The Broncos improved to 7-2 with the win, while Carolina fell to 3-5 and lost sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

While Young said the Panthers shouldn't have to rely on the refs to win games, the last-second challenge flag will certainly be on the minds of Carolina fans over the next few days.