All the momentum was tipping toward the LA Chargers. After a thunderous touchdown drive to make it a one-score game, the Chargers sacked C.J. Stroud on third and long to force a punt, giving Justin Herbert a chance to win the game and set up an AFC West title game in Week 18.
There was just one problem: a penalty marker was thrown in the secondary. Sophomore cornerback Tarheeb Still was called for illegal contact, extending the Texans' drive and ending the game in the process.
The first instinct was to blame the second-year cornerback for a costly penalty in a huge spot. However, upon second look, it became clear the referees made the biggest wish-washy call imaginable, calling Still for contact that the wide receiver initiated.
Chargers robbed of the chance of winning the AFC West by a ticky-tacky penalty
In a vacuum, this call doesn't look like the most egregious whistle you'll ever see. After all, there are plenty of controversial penalties in every single game. But given the circumstances, it's actually unbelievable that this was called.
You never want penalties to decide a game, especially when it's one of those penalties that you could probably call every single play if you were really looking for it. This was a football play. Still did nothing to initiate the contact and was just shadowing his receiver.
Christian Kirk ran right at Still and initiated the contact with his arms stretched out. Yes, there was contact, but it didn't fundamentally change the play. If this is the way games are going to be officiated, every receiver should just barrel at a corner and force them to make contact to pick up five-yard penalties all the way down the field.
The Chargers still had to drive down the field and score a touchdown to win the game, but at least then they would have controlled their own destiny. The ball would have been firmly in the Chargers' court. If they could drive down and score, they would set up a Week 18 game against the Broncos with the AFC West on the line.
Instead, the Chargers never got a chance to do that because of a penalty that could legitimately be called every single play if the refs really want to be that eagle eyed.
The Chargers now have a Week 18 date with the Broncos with nothing on the line but seeding as a wild-card team. It remains to be seen if the team's starters will even play.