Wide receiver Brandon Johnson doesn\u2019t have too many highlights in his two seasons with the Broncos. But on Sunday against the Washington Commanders, he made the catch of all catches.<\/p>\n
Denver was pinned midfield and trailing 35-27 with three seconds left in regulation when quarterback Russell Wilson rolled to his left and launched a prayer deep down the field. The throw was a few yards shy of the goal line, but the ball bounced off wide receiver Courtland Sutton and Adam Trautman before Johnson corralled it for a 50-yard touchdown.<\/p>\n
Moments after Empower Field at Mile High rocked in celebration, Johnson\u2019s shining moment faded into oblivion.<\/p>\n
In need of a two-point conversion to tie the game, Wilson threw to Sutton in the end zone. Commanders cornerback Benjamin St. Juste appeared to have his hand on Sutton\u2019s facemask just as the ball was entering his direction. But no flags were thrown. The pass was ruled incomplete, and the Broncos are now 0-2 after a crushing 35-33 defeat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s enough cameras and TV coverage that everyone can watch it and figure out for themselves what happened,\u201d Sutton said. \u201cBut I can only talk about what I can control. Russ gave me a chance to make a play. We got to find a way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sutton didn\u2019t have to outright say the referees missed a game-changing penalty. His facial expression was enough. Sutton\u2019s teammates, however, openly admitted that they expected to see flags after the play.<\/p>\n
Rookie wideout Marvin Mims Jr., who recorded a team-best 113 receiving yards on two catches, watched the conversion attempt from the sidelines and thought there was a pass interference.<\/p>\n
\u201c(It was) a bang-bang play,\u201d Mims said. \u201cA lot of guys wanted it to be pass interference to give us another run at it. Unfortunately, it wasn\u2019t, so we have to learn from this game and keep moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about the play, head coach Sean Payton seemed to point a finger at Wilson, saying he thought wide receiver Jerry Jeudy got open before his quarterback opted to target Sutton. Payton added that he didn\u2019t have a good view to determine whether a flag should\u2019ve been drawn. \u201cWe\u2019ll see it on tape,\u201d Payton said.<\/p>\n
Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II said he thought St.-Juste grabbed Sutton and the referees would make the call, but \u201cthere\u2019s nothing you can do about it now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Right tackle Mike McGlinchey called Johnson\u2019s touchdown catch \u201cone of the wildest things I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a moment, Johnson was a hero. Now, his biggest reward for the Hail Mary grab might be a spot on SportsCenter\u2019s Top 10 plays.<\/p>\n
Johnson, who caught two passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns, said he wasn\u2019t the designated jumper for the pass, but once the ball got tipped, he saw it as an opportunity to make a play.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a shame we didn\u2019t get that call at the end,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI\u2019m (not) even thinking about the touchdown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pass interference or not, the Broncos could have avoided being in that position in the first place. Denver held a 21-3 lead with 9:01 to go in the second quarter before getting outscored 32-12 the rest of the way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no way the game should\u2019ve come down to that,\u201d McGlinchey said. \u201cWe let this game slip away.\u201d<\/p>\n