The NFL’s replay office stepped in on Sunday to rescue a challenge that, by every appearance on the field, had come too late. The Carolina Panthers had already run their next play when officials stopped the game in Charlotte, and the league’s vice president of instant replay, Mark Butterworth, explained afterward that camera angles showed Sean Payton’s red flag was in the air before the ball was snapped. The review turned an incompletion into an interception, and the Denver Broncos went on to win 26-21.
The play
Carolina led 14-13 with first-and-goal at the Denver 1 and about 1:35 left in the third quarter. Bryce Young threw for tight end Tommy Tremble near the back corner of the end zone, where linebacker Justin Strnad arrived at the same moment as the ball. It deflected off Tremble’s arm, and reserve safety Devon Key grabbed it just before it reached the turf. The officials ruled the pass incomplete.
The Panthers hurried to the line and snapped the ball again, with Chuba Hubbard stopped for no gain. Only then did the whistles come. Referee Alan Eck announced that Payton had thrown his challenge flag before that second-down snap, so the play would not count. The review confirmed that Key had caught the ball cleanly, and Denver took over at its own 20.
In pool report, VP of instant replay Mark Butterworth said the replay office confirmed Sean Payton threw challenge flag because the next play occurred. pic.x.com/JcxN2Puk9S
— Joe Person (@josephperson) November 8, 2026
What the league said
In the interview with the pool reporter after the game, Butterworth described the replay office’s role in plain terms. “Replay can get involved to make sure that the head coach throws his challenge flag prior to the next snap,” he said. “We were actually able to use angles to show that the flag was out prior to the ball being snapped, and so we permitted the challenge.”
The point matters because a coach’s challenge is only valid if it comes before the next snap. Once the ball is put in play, the earlier ruling normally stands. On Sunday, nobody on the field appeared to see the flag in time, so the decision rested on video reviewed by the league’s officiating staff in New York rather than on what the crew saw in the moment.
Eck also addressed the catch itself. He said two officials had a good look and judged that Strnad reached Tremble at the same time as the ball, “a bang-bang play,” so there was no pass interference.
The same crew handled a second key review late in the game. With 1:18 left, Young was hit from behind and lost the ball. Eck said it came loose “before his passing hand came forward,” so he ruled a fumble, Denver recovered, and the replay review left the ruling on the field in place.
Payton credits the coach upstairs
Payton said the call came from Evan Rothstein, the Broncos’ director of game management and an assistant quarterbacks coach, who shouted for the challenge just as the Panthers were set to snap. Throwing it meant risking a timeout if the review failed. “I just gave Evan a game ball,” Payton said. “That was a hard one for any one of us to see, and my concern was: Was anyone able to see that I threw it before the play was snapped? And fortunately, New York can.” He added that he could not recall another challenge that close.
Panthers coach Dave Canales said the officials told him the flag was out in time, but that he had not seen the proof himself. “They confirmed that he did throw the challenge flag before we did snap the ball on that very next play,” he said. “So, I’ve got to go from their word.” Tremble said the Carolina offense did not know a play could be reviewed after the next one had been run. “That was confusing to us,” he said.
Canales said refs confirmed Sean Payton dropped the challenge flag before Panthers’ second down play. pic.x.com/LU1tC1AnnR
— Joe Person (@josephperson) November 8, 2026
How it swung the game
Instead of a possible 21-13 deficit, Denver drove 14 plays for a 9-yard touchdown run by rookie Jonah Coleman and a 19-14 lead after a failed two-point try. The Broncos scored again on their next drive when Bo Nix found Pat Bryant, activated on Saturday, for a 26-yard touchdown. Carolina got within five but could not finish.
The win was Denver’s fifth in a row and lifted the Broncos to 7-2. It was also their 16th straight regular-season win in a one-score game, breaking the NFL record of 15 set by the Indianapolis Colts in 2008 and 2009. The Panthers fell to 3-5, with 13 penalties for 119 yards adding to the damage. Some Carolina fans asked on Sunday night why the league had not released the angle showing the flag; as of early Monday, it had not been made public.
Sunday’s games now go to the league office for the usual review of hits and conduct, with Week 9 fines due on Saturday. For last week’s list, see the Week 8 fines.
No published comments yet. Start the conversation.