Late in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos outside linebacker Baron Browning hit quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson just as the ball was released on an incomplete pass that would have resulted in 4th-and-12 if not for a late flag.
Officials deemed the hit roughing the passer and penalized Browning, resulting in a first down for the Browns. It was a brutal hit that knocked DTR out of the game with a head injury, but many fans viewed it as a legal play.
After the game, Broncos coach Sean Payton downplayed the controversial call by sidestepping a question about it.
“Those guys worked hard — the officiating crew,” Payton said after an eventual 29-12 win. “They’re tasked with a difficult job. Some of those calls are difficult to make. They have a challenge — they happen so quickly. They had good dialogue.
“[I’ve] worked with a bunch of those guys over the years. I felt like it was good communication. That’s kind of where it was at. It kind of goes back and forth — you get some, sometimes you don’t. They did a good job of communicating everything.”
Payton’s diplomatic answer might not have been so diplomatic if the Browns came back to win. Browning didn’t have much to say about the penalty after the game.
“I didn’t think it was a dirty hit, but they called it,” Browning said. “So what can I do about it?”
Fortunately, Denver’s defense recovered a fumble two plays after the penalty.
“I think it just shows our demeanor and attitude,” Browning said. “We can’t control everything, but what we can control is our response. We responded and got a turnover.”
Twitter/X had mixed reactions to the penalty on Sunday.