Three weeks down, the Los Angeles Rams are 1-2. However, the number could have been 2-1, had cornerback Josh Wallace not been flagged on the potentially game-changing grab he made late against the Denver Broncos. Head coach Sean McVay even left his post-game presser very abruptly; the Rams were that shell-shocked.
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Now, however, the NFL is taking on a different stance. According to McVay in his recent press conference, the league reached out to him and “agreed” that the defensive pass interference on Wallace should not have been called.
“They agreed with me,” McVay said of his phone call with the league and about their conversation around the penalty.
“Whether it was or wasn’t right, that wasn’t the point. The call was made, and that was what the call was. What I am interested in is if there’s any sort of feedback that says, this is in alignment with what would be correctly officiated as a DPI. Here’s the coaching points that you want your DBs or your back end guys to be able to have. That’s the only thing that I’m really worried about. That game’s over with.”
In the fourth quarter, the Broncos were in the midst of a drive that eventually ensured their comeback. Denver was on the Rams’ 11-yard line, and threw a pass intended for WR Pat Bryant. However got his hands on the ball covering Bryant, and he managed to get his knee inbounds before falling. For a short while, it was all over for the Broncos.
But a flag was thrown, turning the tables. The CB was flagged for defensive pass interference, and the interception was removed. The Broncos got to continue their drive from Los Angeles’ 7-yard line. A few plays later, Denver scored a rushing touchdown, edging past the Rams 30-26.
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay was among the voices who disagreed on the penalty.
“As we get towards the end, we actually see the receiver grab the defender and pull in on him,” he said. “I don’t see the defender do anything that significantly hinders the receiver on this play. Even the first part. There’s just hands on him; he doesn’t do anything with them.”
The Rams got possession with less than a minute on the clock, and made it to Denver’s 14-yard line. However, following a five-yard penalty and facing a 2nd and 15, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw an interception.
It was yet another disappointing loss for Los Angeles. Per The Athletic’s Nate Atkins, McVay ducked the press conference before most Rams media could get to him. He answered one question for ESPN, and a few others.
“Yeah, it’s tough. But this is sports; you sign up for all of it,” McVay told the reporters after the game. “Love our group, just came up short. Give the Broncos credit; they found a way to get it done. We look at ourselves and figure out how we can improve.”
The loss added to the mounting criticism behind the Rams’ 2026 campaign, which looks nothing like what fans expected it to be. Once favorites to win the Super Bowl, their odds are now being tested.
Here’s what the players involved had to say about the call.
Many players reacted amid Sean McVay’s Rams tasting defeat
Bo Nix, who completed only 17 of 34 passes for 186 yards, said that his team “were fortunate with a couple of interference penalties.”
He’s not wrong. The Rams racked up 13 penalties, including five in the final two minutes of play. Wallace was noted for yet another DPI earlier in the fourth quarter, but it was declined. Another one was noted on Emmanuel Forbes Jr. in the first quarter.
“It was a little pass interference,” Pat Bryant said. “I did sell it just enough to get the flag, but he definitely gave me a little nudge that I felt, and I felt like I couldn’t get the ball. So, it was either the ball or the call, and I couldn’t get the ball, so we ended up getting the call.”
“It’s tough,” Josh Wallace said of that defensive series. “I felt like we stopped them a couple of times. Just got to keep playing at the end of the day.”
What’s in the past is in the past. The Rams now have to play the Philadelphia Eagles on October 4. Hopefully, they will have the officiating fall in line with their efforts.