Broncos WR Pat Bryant comes clean on whether he flopped on controversial pass interference call vs. Rams

Instead of a game-clinching Rams interception, a Bryant flop helped spring the Broncos to victory

Sep 30, 2026 at 8:41 am ET • 2 min read

The Denver Broncos are 2-1 on the season after a last-second win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night, but it wasn't without some controversy. If you haven't heard by now, the game was thrown off its axis late in the fourth quarter when Denver benefited from a questionable defensive pass interference call by the officials. 

On a third-and-6 play from the Rams' 11-yard line and just over a minute left in regulation, Bo Nix threw a sideline pass intended for wideout Pat Bryant. While there was some contact between Bryant and Rams corner Josh Wallace, Bryant certainly embellished the severity of the contact, which drew a flag for defensive pass interference. 

To make matters worse, Wallace ended up reeling in what would've been a game-clinching interception. Instead, the Broncos were given first-and-goal at the L.A. 7-yard line, eventually took a 30-26 lead with a Nix touchdown, and fended off a last-minute Rams drive to pull off the win. 

As you might expect, this play drew the ire of just about all of the NFL viewing public (outside of the Denver area) as it certainly didn't seem like the contact was worthy enough for a DPI call. In fact, Bryant appeared to be the one grabbing Wallace's shoulder on the play. 

Nevertheless, Bryant, who caught both of his targets on Sunday for 44 yards and a touchdown, is sticking to the ruling on the field, but did acknowledge that he did "sell it just enough."  

"It was a little pass interference," Bryant told Romi Bean of CBS Colorado. "I did sell it just enough, you know what I'm saying, to get the flag. He definitely gave me a little nudge that I felt, and I felt like I couldn't get the ball, so it was either the ball or call, and we ended up getting the call." 

"Oh yeah, of course," Bryant said when asked if the art of the flop has made its way into the NFL. "Once they give you that push, it's either illegal contact or pass interference. I know that's the biggest thing going across social media right now. I can't even open my social media without seeing the video, but, I mean, it's something that a lot of people do in this league, so kind of used it to my advantage."

Whether or not it should've been called as DPI, it was a savvy move by the 2025 third-round pick, and it helped his team get the victory. Meanwhile, the Rams dropped to 1-2 on the season.