Broncos beat Saints in wild finish after Denver returns a cotroversial 2-point conversion that officials said was not out of bounds
The Denver Broncos escaped New Orleans with a 25-23 win over the New Orleans Saints that concluded with a wild and controversial finish.
In a tight game, the Saints fumbled the ball with 3:15 left, trailing the Broncos 20-17. The Broncos capitalized on it, kicking a field goal to push their lead to six with 2:55 remaining in the game.
On the ensuing drive, Drew Brees marched the Saints down the field and hit Brandin Cooks with a beautiful 32-yard touchdown pass through three defenders to tie the game with 1:22 remaining.
A wild, back-and-forth game then got crazier. The Saints went to take the extra-point attempt to go up one, when Broncos rookie safety Justin Simmons leaped over the Saints' offensive line and blocked the kick.
The ball was picked up by fellow rookie safety Will Parks, who ran down the sideline to return the ball for a defensive two-point conversion.
However, the play went to replay to see if Parks stepped out of bounds. Referees looked at the play for several minutes, examining angles to see where he stepped. One step, in particular, looked very close to the sidelines.
The white shoes on the white paint made it hard to tell. Despite several angles and replays, the referees couldn't definitively say if Parks stepped out, thus leaving the ruling on the field to stand.
The Saints tried an onside kick, but it was recovered by the Broncos. They ran the clock out and came away with a big win to stay alive in the highly competitive AFC West.