ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- After a few hours to sleep on it, or really a few hours just to toss and turn about it, Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio still didn't agree Monday with two key calls that went against his team in the closing seconds of Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bears, even as ultimately, Fangio said, it's his team's job to win the game anyway.
"In regards to officiating, I will quote [New Orleans Saints coach] Sean Payton, who is a much more senior head coach than I am, 'We can't control poor officiating and awful calls' and just go about it that way,'' Fangio said. "We still have to find a way to win the game regardless of what's happened.''
The Broncos scored a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to take a 14-13 lead over the Bears with 31 seconds left in Sunday's game, but they ultimately lost 16-14 when Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro booted a 53-yard field goal as time expired.
Fangio didn't agree with two key officiating calls on the Bears' final drive -- a roughing the passer penalty on linebacker Bradley Chubb on the first play of that drive and, after it appeared that time had expired, the officials' decision to put one second back on the clock, awarding the Bears a timeout just before the final kick.
Fangio was asked Monday if he thought Chubb's penalty, which moved the ball from the Bears' 25-yard line to the 45-yard line (it was enforced on top of a 5-yard completion), was called because the rule states that the defender "must strive to wrap up the passer with the defensive player's arms and not land with all or most of his body weight.''
Fangio replied: "It wasn't called as written.''
After three Mitch Trubisky incompletions following Chubb's penalty, to go with a Bears penalty for too many men in the huddle, Trubisky completed a 25-yard pass to Allen Robinson in the middle of the field to move the ball to the Broncos' 35-yard line. Initially, the Broncos believed time had expired on the play -- there were nine seconds remaining on the clock when the play began -- but after a short conversation, officials awarded the Bears a timeout and put one second back on the clock.
Pineiro then kicked the game winner on the next play.
"I don't think there was [a second left],'' Fangio said. "They're assuming a lot there and they will tell you there has to be lag time. He went down at one [second left]. Nothing in the world happens simultaneously. There is lag time there. And they didn't deem there was lag time there.''
Asked if it was his understanding that Trubisky called, and was awarded, the timeout, Fangio said: "Still doesn't matter. A player can call timeout, but nobody can call a timeout until the guy is down.''
Following the game, Bears coach Matt Nagy said: "But the second he caught the ball, I kept [calling a timeout]. ... He can't blow the whistle until it's truly dead, but I was right down there. Every second, every half second matters.''