NFL Admits Officiating Error in Commanders-Broncos Game - And It Highlights a Bigger Problem
NFL officiating is once again under the microscope, and this time, the league is owning up to a mistake that could’ve changed the outcome of a tightly contested game. The play in question?
A controversial intentional grounding call on Washington quarterback Marcus Mariota late in last Sunday night’s matchup against the Broncos. And now, the league’s head of officiating, Walt Anderson, has confirmed: the flag shouldn’t have been thrown.
Let’s break it down.
With the Commanders driving late in regulation, Mariota dropped back and launched a pass over the head of wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who was lined up outside the numbers. The ball sailed incomplete, and officials immediately threw a flag for intentional grounding - a call that stalled the drive and ultimately forced Washington to settle for a game-tying field goal instead of pushing for a potential game-winning touchdown.
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay wasted no time calling it out during the broadcast: “This is absolutely not grounding. He throws it over the head of No. 17, who is outside the numbers. By rule, that is not intentional grounding.”
And McAulay was right. According to the rulebook, if the quarterback is under pressure and throws the ball in the direction of an eligible receiver who is outside the numbers - even if it’s wildly overthrown - it’s not grounding. The intent is to give quarterbacks a way to avoid a sack without being penalized, as long as they meet certain criteria: being outside the pocket or throwing toward an eligible receiver.
On Sunday morning, Anderson addressed the play on NFL Network and acknowledged the officials missed the call.
“It wasn’t intentional grounding,” Anderson said. “There’s a lot of different aspects to intentional grounding.
You’ve got to determine first: Was the quarterback in or out of the pocket? Where did he throw the football?
Did it get past the line of scrimmage? All of those factors come into play.”
Anderson noted that while replay can help determine whether the quarterback was in or out of the pocket, it can’t currently be used to verify whether the intended receiver was outside the numbers - a critical piece in this situation.
“The quarterback does not quite get out of the pocket, so he’s now got to throw the ball in the direction of a receiver, which he does,” Anderson explained. “It goes right over McLaurin’s head, but unfortunately, the officials did not feel that the player was outside the number. That’s not something that replay can help with.”
And therein lies the problem.
The league can use replay to check the quarterback’s location relative to the pocket. But when it comes to the receiver’s positioning - whether he’s inside or outside the numbers - that’s still off-limits. That’s the part of the rule that ultimately tripped up the officiating crew, and it’s a gap that cost Washington a shot at a game-winning drive in regulation.
Anderson expressed hope that the league will consider expanding replay rules to include that element in the future. But that’s been the NFL’s reactive approach for years: wait for a controversial moment, then tweak the rulebook after the fact. We’ve seen it with pass interference, catch rules, and now, potentially, intentional grounding.
The frustrating part for fans - and teams - is that these changes often come too late to make a difference in the moment. If replay had been allowed to confirm McLaurin’s position, the flag likely would’ve been picked up. And with that, the Commanders would’ve had a fresh set of downs and a real shot at walking off with a win in regulation.
Instead, they settled for three points and ended up in overtime - all because of a judgment call that the league now admits was wrong.
This isn’t just about one play. It’s about the broader issue of transparency and accountability in NFL officiating.
Right now, the league offers a weekly appearance by Anderson to discuss one or two select calls from the previous week. It’s a step in the right direction, sure - but it’s still a long way from true transparency.
Fans, players, and coaches deserve more. They deserve a process that doesn’t just react to mistakes but works proactively to prevent them. Because in a league where every inch matters and every drive can swing a season, one blown call shouldn't be the reason a team’s fate changes.
The NFL has acknowledged the error. Now the question is whether it will take the next step - and fix the system that allowed it to happen in the first place.