Von Miller got away with one on the turnover that essentially clinched the Super Bowl for Denver.
The game MVP batted the ball back towards the opposing goal line, which is illegal – and Miller basically admitted as much to SI’s Peter King on Friday.
“I was being held for a minute,” Miller told King. “So I couldn’t get to the ball right away. I thought Cam was going to jump on it, but I guess, I mean, he didn’t want to dive down there on it. I couldn’t fall on it, so I was just trying to, I don’t know, get it to one of our guys.”
This was the same play that Cam Newton was criticized for a lack of effort on. It’s hard to see if you’re not looking for it, though, so it makes sense that it was missed, but Miller definitely was guilty of illegal batting here.
Had the call been made, Carolina would have retained the football down 16-10 late in the fourth. Instead, Denver recovered and punched it in for a two-score lead that put the game out of reach once and for all.
The illegal batting foul came into public consciousness in an early-season Monday Night Football game when the Seahawks got away with one against the Lions. That play was much more blatant and harder to excuse than the one that occurred in the Super Bowl.
