In last week's edition of Sunday Surprises, Tom Brady's injury was "top dog", this week highly respected veteran NFL referee Ed Hochuli get's that dubious honor. Hochuli made a rare mistake in the game that had the San Diego Chargers visiting the Denver Broncos in an important divisional match up.
The Play: With 1:17 left in the fourth quarter and the Chargers leading by seven, 38-31, Broncos' quarterback Jay Cutler (another outstanding day, 36-50 for 350 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, currently the top rated quarterback in the NFL) dropped back to pass on second down with one yard to go. Cutler rolled to his right and began his throwing motion, but before his arm stopped going back, the ball came loose from his grip and he fumbled the ball. The Chargers recovered before the ball went out of bounds.
The call: Hochuli, remarkably, blew his whistle and ruled the play an incomplete pass before the ball was recovered, ruling the play "dead" as soon as the ball hit the ground.
The play was reviewed and overturned, but not completely. The incomplete pass was accurately ruled a fumble, but possession was NOT awarded to San Diego because the dreaded "inadvertent whistle" had ended the play as soon as the ball hit the ground. The Broncos would lose nine yards on the play and the Chargers awarded a sack, but not the ball. The Broncos would go on to score a touchdown to bring the game within one point, and Broncos' head coach Mike Shanahan made the gutsy call of going for the win with a two point conversion, which was successful, and won the game 39-38.
Hochuli admitted to "blowing the play". His quick whistle cost the Chargers a win, period. With only one minute to play, Chargers' head coach Norv Turner would have been able to use "the victory formation" to end the game, but he was never given that chance because of Hochuli's error.
Not only did the Washington Redskins' offense rebound from a dismal performance in Week One, but they did so in style. Last week rookie head coach Jim Zorn and quarterback Jason Campbell
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