Broncos' game management director's quick decision helps Denver beat Carolina on overturned call

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — As the Carolina Panthers began lining up for a second-and-goal at the Denver 1-yard line late in the third quarter, Sean Payton heard a voice screaming in his headset: “Challenge it!”

It was Broncos director of game management and assistant quarterbacks coach Evan Rothstein, whose tasks on game day include taking a fast look at replays and immediately relaying his opinions to Payton for consideration.

With Carolina's Bryce Young about to take a snap from center, Payton didn't hesitate to ask questions. He yanked the red challenge flag from his back right pocket and tossed it onto the playing field, placing full trust in Rothstein at the risk of losing a timeout.

The Panthers snapped the ball anyway, with Young handing off to Chuba Hubbard, who was stuffed for no gain.

Then came the whistles — and several moments of confusion.

Officials gathered, and after speaking with the NFL officiating office in New York, determined that Payton had thrown the challenge flag before Young took the snap, nullifying the second down play.

“That was a hard one for any one of us to see, and my concern was, “Was anyone able to see that I threw it before the play was snapped?'” Payton said. “And fortunately, New York can. That’s obviously a big play, and sometimes, it’s a slower feedback, depending on the game you’re playing. (If) you’re playing on Sunday night or on Monday (on national television with more cameras), that information might come quicker."

After reviewing the play, officials overturned what was initially ruled an incompletion on first down into a momentum-turning interception for the Broncos, who would go on to win 26-21.

“Replay can get involved to make sure that the head coach throws his challenge flag prior to the next snap,” NFL vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth said afterward in a pool report. “We were actually able to use angles to show that the flag was out prior to the ball being snapped, and so we permitted the challenge.”

CBS, which broadcast the game, did not show any replays of when Payton dropped the flag in relation to the ball being snapped.

“They confirmed that he did throw the challenge flag before we snapped the ball on that very next play,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. "I’ve got to go on their word.”

The play in question added to the unusual scenario.

Young's pass to the left corner of the end zone twice hit Tommy Tremble in the hands, the second time while the tight end was flat on his back. But replays showed the ball never actually hit the ground. Broncos safety Devon Key alertly bent over and snatched the ball before it hit the turf.

Key said he knew he caught the ball and his first instinct was the return it out of the end zone, but officials blew the play dead.

Carolina fans who watched the replay on the scoreboard booed because they thought Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad made contact with Tremble before he attempted to make the catch, but pass interference was not called.

“I had two officials that had a great look at the play,” referee Alan Eck said in a pool report. “They felt the defender arrived at the same time as the pass. We refer to that as a bang-bang play. They felt the timing was fine. The official ruling on the field was an incomplete pass.”

Tremble said after the game he thought officials blew the whistles to determine if there was pass interference.

NFL replay rules, however, don't allow officials to enforce penalties that were not initially called on the field.

The overturned call was a major turning point in the game.

The Broncos, trailing 14-13 at the time, scored on their next two possessions to take command of the game. Carolina's late comeback attempt ended when Nik Bonitto sacked Bryce Young to help seal Denver's fifth straight win.

Afterward, Payton awarded both Rothstein and Key game balls.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Denver Broncos safety Devon Key intercepts of the end zone intended for Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Denver Broncos safety Devon Key intercepts of the end zone intended for Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Denver Broncos safety Devon Key intercepts of the end zone intended for Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Denver Broncos safety Devon Key intercepts of the end zone intended for Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble catches a touchdown pass against the Denver Broncos during the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that President Donald Trump launched the war against Iran even if it was not “necessarily popular” to safeguard the world from the country's nuclear ambitions.

He would not comment directly about the Republican wipeout in Tuesday’s elections, which delivered a resounding rebuke to Trump. The unpopularity of the Iran war and its impact on gasoline prices and other parts of the economy helped Democrats seize control of Congress.

Asked about Vice President JD Vance’s social media post last week that largely blamed the war for the Republican losses, Rubio told reporters that Trump “identified a very real threat” in Iran and worked to stop the Islamic Republic from pursuing a nuclear weapon.

“He addressed it even though oftentimes the right thing to do for the country — confronting difficult challenges for the security of our country — doing it isn’t necessarily popular, but necessary,” Rubio said in Florida before heading to a Group of 7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris.

America's top diplomat offered a robust defense of the more than eight-month-old war even as voters blamed Trump’s policies for the hit to their pocketbooks, including higher energy prices that stemmed from disruptions to shipments in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway where one-fifth of the world's oil transited before the war.

Rubio's comments also put him at odds with Vance amid speculation of both of their 2028 presidential ambitions. Trump told reporters Sunday that Vance was right — other than that his vice president should have also insisted it was the correct choice to go to war.

“I can tell you if I had it to do again, this historically — for history — will go down as one of the best things we ever did," Trump said. "Because if they ever had a nuclear weapon, they would blow up the world."

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

With no clear administration strategy to wind down the conflict and the Middle East on edge over the possibility of a return to major hostilities, mediators are trying to revive talks between the sides.

Rubio said, “I wouldn’t say we’re at the verge of a breakthrough.”

He reiterated that Trump prefers a diplomatic solution, but “right now, it hasn’t been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic.”

Trump is set to meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday, according to his official schedule.

The Associated Press has reported that Iran was reviewing proposals presented by chief mediator Qatar aimed at addressing differences with the United States about Tehran’s nuclear program. But Iran was seen as unwilling to negotiate with the Trump administration over their atomic activities until the U.S. agrees to several core conditions that Tehran has been demanding be part of any ceasefire agreement, officials have said.

Those include ending the U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing its assets, issuing compensation for war damage and ending hostilities throughout the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.

While Rubio said there was no diplomatic breakthrough at hand, Trump told CNN in a phone interview Sunday that as long as the U.S. sees progress in negotiations with Tehran and they sign a “strong agreement,” it’s “highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary” to resume strikes.

Trump said, however, that the U.S. had identified infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges, that it would strike if military action resumes.

The U.S. military, meanwhile, still has carried out limited strikes on Iran, including against its air defenses, at least twice over the past week. It also fired on and disabled a commercial ship Saturday that the U.S. says was trying to breach its naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Rubio acknowledged that the U.S. will take defensive actions if needed.

“If there’s a clear and present threat to shipping or to our forces in the region, we have a right to defend ourselves,” Rubio said.

Price reported from West Palm Beach, Fla.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before departing for France from Homestead Air Reserve Base in Homestead, Florida, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. Rubio is traveling for the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool photo via AP)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio departs for France from Homestead Air Reserve Base in Homestead, Florida, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. Rubio is traveling for the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool photo via AP)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before departing for France from Homestead Air Reserve Base in Homestead, Florida, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. Rubio is traveling for the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool photo via AP)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before departing for France from Homestead Air Reserve Base in Homestead, Florida, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. Rubio is traveling for the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool photo via AP)