Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Jon Heath

Broncos coach Sean Payton ‘surprised’ by Pat Surtain-Romeo Doubs ruling

Alex Kemp made a controversial decision when he awarded the Green Bay Packers a touchdown in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

Kemp ruled that Packers receiver Romeo Doubs caught a touchdown after he and Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain came down with the ball in the end zone.

After the game, Surtain said he thought he had it secured for a turnover, and CBS rules expert Gene Steratore said Surtain should have been awarded an interception after he controlled the ball with two feet down.

Broncos coach Sean Payton agreed with that sentiment, saying the call should have gone in Surtain’s favor.

“When you have two [hands] on it in the end zone, your feet down, I think we’re going to see that was something maybe that should have been called the other way,” Payton said after the game. “We kind of all grow up with the idea of tie goes to [the receiver] and who wrestles it out of the arms, but if you have two clean hands on it when you land in the end zone — I was a little surprised [by the call].”

Ultimately, the only opinion that mattered was that of the official calling the game, and Kemp ruled that Doubs possessed the ball for a catch and scored. Fortunately, that decision did not end up costing Denver the game.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.