The Denver Broncos beat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, 25-23, in a wild finish that ended with a controversial, game-deciding play.
After the Saints scored a touchdown to even up the score with just over a minute remaining, the Broncos blocked the Saints' extra-point attempt.
Broncos rookie safety Will Parks scooped up and ran the ball down the sideline to score a defensive two-point conversion. The play was immediately reviewed as it appeared that Parks stepped out of bounds while running down the sideline. However, due to a combination of poor camera angles and Parks' white shoes on the white sideline, the play couldn't definitively be overturned. The Saints didn't recover an onside kick, and the Broncos won the game.
Now, a new camera angle from local New Orleans news station WDSU appears to show that Parks did indeed step out. Watch the video below:
Here is VIDEO @wdsu sports photographer (twitter-less) Alvin Moore shot today of blocked PAT.
- Fletcher Mackel (@FletcherWDSU) November 14, 2016
Did Will Parks step out of bounds? pic.twitter.com/es6ZLWv34g
It's still not entirely clear, but it looks like his right foot touched the sideline.
Parks told MMQB's Peter King that he felt confident that he did not step out, saying, "I know I didn't step on the sideline. I took ballet in fifth grade, so I'm good on my toes."
However, this video seems to say otherwise. Had the refs ruled Parks stepped out of bounds, it could have had huge ramifications on the game. The extra-point attempt would have failed, and the Saints would have kicked off to the Broncos with the game tied at 23-23. The Broncos would have had to get within field-goal range, and if they failed, the game would have gone to overtime. Instead, the Broncos scored the two points and the Saints didn't get the ball back.
It's unclear why the NFL doesn't also have this camera angle, but it shows that the replay system could use some improvements, particularly when game-deciding plays are on the line.