Adam Trautman’s sliding, one-cheek touchdown catch may be Week 12’s best play

One cheek = two feet, and Trautman juuuust barely got his down in time.

The Denver Broncos needed a spark on third and goal. Failure to find the end zone from the eight-yard line would give way to a field goal and a potential 20-12 lead — room enough for the Cleveland Browns to tie the game in the fourth quarter with a single drive. A touchdown, on the other hand, would push the Broncos’ win probability up over 90 percent.

That’s when Russell Wilson snuck out of the pocket to avoid pressure and looked to the end zone. There, streaking to his right, was tight end Adam Trautman. Wilson uncorked a throw to the sideline, putting it where only his target could catch it, but periliously close to the boundary that could invalidate the score.

A sliding Trautman got his hands on the ball and, by a matter of centimeters, got his butt down in bounds to make it count.

Officials on the field ruled Trautman out of bounds. Head coach Sean Payton challenged the call, only to find the merest sliver of daylight between the tight end’s cheeks and the edge of the field.

via Fox.

But that was enough to turn a field goal attempt into a touchdown and push the Broncos on their way to victory. Fans and analysts were in awe of the catch — and had some easy comparisons to make to the Broncos’ other top-tapping touchdown machine, Courtland Sutton.