NFL admits Rams shouldn't have been called for DPI vs. Broncos - Rams Wire
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said the NFL told him that cornerback Josh Wallace should not have been called for defensive pass interference in Sunday's loss to the Broncos, according to multiple reports.
McVay shared the league's feedback with reporters Wednesday.
The flag came on third-and-6 from the Los Angeles 11, with Denver in position to take the lead. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw into the end zone, and Wallace appeared to come away with the ball. Officials instead flagged him for defensive pass interference on receiver Pat Bryant. What looked like a game-changing takeaway became a first-and-goal from the 7, and Denver cashed in to go up 30-26 and went on to win the game.
McVay was visibly upset on the broadcast, seemingly saying, "You can't call that." NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay sided with the defense, saying he didn't think Wallace's contact warranted a flag. Bryant later admitted he helped the call along. "I did sell it just enough," he said, though he added that Wallace gave him "a little nudge."
McVay's postgame press conference lasted less than two minutes, and he addressed the penalty only briefly. "Looked like it was a good, competitive play from my vantage point," he said then, adding that he would review it.
By Monday, McVay was focused on moving forward. Per ESPN, he said the call "doesn't really matter" and that "it is what it is." He pointed to missed chances to close out the game and said he wouldn't have any additional coaching points for how Wallace played the snap.
"I'm not going to make excuses either," he said Monday, "and we're not going to play the victim card."
The situation is eerily similar to a moment from seven years ago with McVay and Sean Payton again. After McVay's Rams beat Payton's New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game in 2019, Payton later said the league's head of officials told him the crew "blew the call" by not flagging Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman for pass interference late in the fourth quarter. The no-call came on third-and-10 from the Rams' 13 with the score tied 20-20. New Orleans settled for a field goal, and the Rams eventually won in overtime.
Now Payton coaches the Broncos, and McVay is the one hearing from the league that a call went the wrong way.
It's unlikely anything will come of this admission by the league, but it at least vindicates McVay's feelings toward one of the most controversial calls of the 2026 season.
If you purchase through our links, the USA Today Network may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.
