DENVER — Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward didn’t agree with the costly last-second defensive pass interference, but that wasn’t his biggest shock during his battle with Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
Hayward was stunned that Sutton was able to complete a one-handed catch in the end zone to give the Broncos their first score Sunday. The Broncos defeated the Chargers 23-20 at Empower Field at Mile High.
If Sutton drops that, or if Hayward doesn’t allow Sutton to break free for his second touchdown, maybe the game doesn’t come down to the controversial defensive pass interference call.
Hayward was penalized after he and Sutton collided on the Broncos’ first play of their final drive with nine seconds left in regulation. The Broncos were awarded 37 yards and kicker Brandon McManus did the rest by making the game-winning 53-yard field goal as time expired.
Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock threw the ball from his own 28-yard line. Hayward said Sutton was the one who hit him as they both went after the ball.
“I thought I was trying to play the ball,” Hayward said. “(Lock) gave his guy a chance to make a play, put it in the ref’s hands sometimes. They made the call. … I was surprised they made the call in general, no matter at what part of the game, but they made it, and there’s not much you can do.
“It don’t just come down to that one call or that one play, even though it’s a big part of the game.”
Hayward gave up the two first-quarter touchdowns to Sutton, but then settled down until the flag was thrown. Sutton finished with four catches for 74 yards, and had a 26-yard touchdown and a 5-yard score.
Al Riveron explains the ruling on the field of defensive pass interference in #LACvsDEN: pic.twitter.com/IJH2X5wXNk
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) December 2, 2019
He called Sutton’s first touchdown the best catch he had seen this season until Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams made a 38-yard grab in the fourth quarter.
“He made a good catch,” Hayward said. “That was probably one of the best catches I’ve seen besides Mike. … I was definitely surprised when (Sutton) caught it.”
WILLIAMS’ CLUTCH CATCH
Williams couldn’t have completed his latest acrobatic catch without the help of Broncos cornerback Isaac Yiadom.
Williams fell on his hands before making a 38-yard catch on a fourth-and-11 play with two minutes left. After stumbling on his route, Williams was able to quickly gather himself by using Yiadom’s hands. Williams then used Yiadom’s body to reach for the left-handed grab.
“I actually slipped at the top, and the DB put his hands on me and kinda stopped my fall,” Williams said. “So I appreciate him for that. … Seen the ball in the air, got the left hand to it. That’s the only hand that could get to it at the moment … and made a great catch.”
Williams had a career-high 117 receiving yards, but he was again shutout from the end zone. He’s still searching for his first touchdown of the season, but Williams is optimistic he’ll get a few before the regular season ends.
SAFETIES’ QUIET RETURN
Derwin James started at strong safety for his regular-season debut. Backup strong safety and utility specialist Adrian Phillips also made his return after missing the past nine games with a broken forearm.
Their presence on the field gave their teammates a boost, but the safeties had a quiet game on the stat sheet. Each safety had four combined tackles.
On the first drive, James blitzed Lock and Phillips made the tackle after Lock’s quick release to force a punt. It was their lone highlight of the game.
Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa was also quiet for his standards, with one combined tackle. The Chargers didn’t record a sack against the Broncos.
FLEXED OUT
The Chargers are done with their prime-time schedule.
The league announced Sunday that the Chargers will no longer host the Minnesota Vikings for a “Sunday Night Football” matchup on Dec. 15. Instead, the Chargers will start their Week 15 game against the Vikings at 1:05 p.m. The game was flexed out for Buffalo Bills against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It was the second time that the Chargers were flexed out of a prime-time slot. There was a chance the Chargers would host the Oakland Raiders for a Saturday night game in Week 16. Last month, the league announced that Chargers-Raiders would be played on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 1:05 p.m. The Chargers had three prime-time games this season.
