The Los Angeles Chargers appeared to get a big-time play courtesy of safety Derwin James in the second half of their wild card playoff game against the Houston Texans.
James was in coverage against Dalton Schultz when Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud tried to hit his tight end for a touchdown. The veteran defensive back stayed in front of Schultz and timed up his jump, grabbing the ball and pulling it to his chest as he came to the ground.
The play appeared to give the Chargers a crucial takeaway. They were trailing the Texans 10-6 at the time of James’ interception, so forcing a red-zone turnover would prevent Houston from extending its lead to two scores.
However, upon further review, Land Clark’s crew overturned the interception, ruling that James had failed to survive the ground while bringing the ball in.
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The call was correct, as James briefly lost control of the pass while trying to secure it. The ball hit the ground, rendering it an incomplete pass.
As such, the Texans retained the ball. However, they ended up well behind the sticks after Joe Mixon was whistled for a 15-yard personal foul penalty for hitting Chargers defensive back Deane Leonard while James was returning his interception.
That penalty backed up the Texans enough to prevent them from getting a touchdown. Houston instead settled for a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal to extend its lead to 13-6.