Tim Tebow, Matthew Willis, and the blatant pass interference that wasn’t called

Does anyone want an NFL game to be decided by a Hail Mary pass interference call with zero seconds left on the clock?

No. I don’t, you don’t, John Fox doesn’t, Roger Goodell doesn’t, and your friendly neighborhood referee doesn’t.

Knowing that, if you’re the opposition, and you know there’s no chance you get called for the flag, wouldn’t you throw an illegal shove your opponent’s way? Wouldn’t you push a wide receiver out of the back of the end zone to ensure your team gets the ‘W’? Of course you would.

Denver Broncos head coach John Fox reacts during an NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers , Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)

And that’s exactly what San Diego Chargers CB Dante Hughes did. Blatantly.

With Tim Tebow scrambling to dodge Chargers pursuers for several seconds, Matthew Willis and others were working to get open in the back of the end zone. Hughes and Willis locked up, and Hughes shoved Willis out of the back of the end zone before placing himself in the direct path of Tebow’s football. The ball whistled through a number of hands before bouncing off both Hughes and then off Willis and then off the ground in heartbreaking fashion, ending the game in a Chargers victory.

“I thought I saw [WR] Matt [Willis] in the back of the end zone,” Tebow said after the game. “There were a bunch of guys around, and I tried to give him an opportunity to catch it, but we came up a little short.”

Judge for yourself. Check the pass interference shove at the 0:16 mark in the video below:

I don’t think I can recall a more blatant non-call in my days watching the NFL. Hughes’ shove was deliberate and illegal. Am I mad? Yes. Do I want that one last play on the goal line with Tim Tebow behind center? You’re damn right I do.

But I can’t fault the Chargers. I would’ve done the same thing. This is on the refs for missing the call. No one wants a game decided by a 50-yard flag, and in this situation, I’d want my Broncos to do the same thing. As the old adage goes, “It’s only cheating if you get caught.” And the chances of getting caught there, given the nature of the play with the game on the line, were minimal.

I’m just begging for a chance to repay the favor in San Diego later this year.

(H/T Mile High Report)