Broncos General Manager John Elway says the NFL has admitted an officiating mistake helped set up the Bears’ game-winning field goal on Sunday.
In the final minute of the game, Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb was flagged for roughing the passer for a hit on Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. The play immediately drew criticism, and according to the Denver Post, Elway said league officials admitted they were “dead wrong” on that call.
That differs from what the league office was saying after the game, when they defended the referee’s decision as a “judgment call.”
Although that 15-yard penalty was huge for the Bears in setting up their game-winning 53-yard field goal, Elway also acknowledged mistakes the Broncos made and said the team can’t use bad calls as an excuse.
“We have to be able to overcome bad plays, bad refereeing and mistakes on our part. Great teams are able to overcome these things,” Elway said.
So far the Broncos have not been able to overcome those things, but Elway says that even at 0-2, he’s confident the team is on the right track. Now if only they could get the calls to go their way.