Refs admit they made second critical mistake on Broncos’ backward pass call in AFC Championship

The Patriots capitalized on a reversed call against the Broncos in their AFC Championship win Sunday, but as one referee explained postgame, there was another error at the scene in Denver.

When discussing the series of events in the second quarter — with an under-pressure Jarrett Stidham flagged for intentional grounding with an incomplete forward pass before the call on the Broncos QB was reversed to a backward pass recovered by the Patriots — referee Alex Kemp was asked if there was “an inadvertent whistle,” with the play being ruled dead even as New England scooped up the ball and took it to the end zone.

“Kemp: The whistle stopped the play, but it was after the New England player picked up the ball,” the transcript read, via Pro Football Talk.

New England Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss (53) sacks Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) in the AFC Championship on Jan. 25, 2026. AP

Had the play kept going, the Patriots would not have seen the touchdown from Patriots linebacker Elijah Ponder negated, and the replay would have been “available to turn the mistaken ruling of a backward pass into an incompletion,” per Pro Football Talk.

New England scored a short time later to tie the game at 7-7. The Patriots then kicked a field goal in the third quarter to take a 10-7 lead they would not relinquish en route to their first Super Bowl since 2019.

Kemp, among the officials who drew the ire of fans over the confusing scene, later expanded on the decision-making behind the call reversal in the second quarter.

Patriots linebacker Elijah Ponder celebrates after recovering a fumble against the Denver Broncos. AP

“Kemp: I initially ruled it as a forward pass, which was incorrect. I proceeded to go through the administration of an intentional grounding foul. The down judge and the umpire came and talked to me and provided more information. The down judge explained that he extended his right arm to signal that he had a backward pass and at that point we determined that New England had picked up the then backward pass. We awarded possession to New England with no advance, because at that point we are not allowed to permit an advance,” the transcript read.

Stidham, replacing an injured Bo Nix on Sunday, said he “thought I threw it forward and obviously the replay said differently.”

“Probably should have just eaten the sack and let [Broncos punter Jeremy] Crawshaw punt the ball and flip the field,” he continued.

The Patriots will now face the Seahawks in Super Bowl 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8.