Sean McVay on DPI call late in loss: We aren’t going to play the victim card

Sean McVay and the Rams benefited from a missed defensive pass interference penalty in the 2018 NFC Championship Game against the Sean Payton-coached Saints. It was one of the worst missed calls in NFL history.

On Sunday, McVay’s Rams were called for a questionable defensive pass interference penalty late in Sunday’s loss to Payton’s Broncos. The penalty nullified Josh Wallace’s interception and instead gave the Broncos a first-and-goal at the 7.

Five plays later, the Broncos scored the game-winner with 47 seconds remaining.

McVay, though, wasn’t about making excuses or blaming officials on Monday.

“[It] doesn’t really matter,” McVay said, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN. “It is what it is. That was the call that was made and there was a lot of opportunities that we had to be able to close the door on that game. . . . But I wouldn’t have any additional coaching points for how Josh plays through the cycle of the snap. But I’m not going to make excuses either and we’re not going to play the victim card.”

Referee Bill Vinovich’s crew called the Rams for five penalties in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, tied for the most by any team in a game since 2000, according to ESPN Research. Vinovich was the referee for the 2018 NFC Championship Game.