Elway: NFL admits error on Chubb call

Broncos general manager John Elway said NFL officials told him the referees made the wrong call when they flagged linebacker Bradley Chubb for roughing-the-passer near the end of Denver’s last-second 1614 loss to the Bears on Sunday.

The Hall of Fame quarterback appeared Thursday as part of a Denver Startup Week session dubbed “Scoring Big in Business with John Elway.”

After a wide-ranging conversation that covered Elway’s football and baseball playing days, his experience as an owner of restaurants, car dealerships and an Arena Football League franchise, he was asked about the Broncos.

“I feel better at 0-2 this year than I did at 2-0 last year,” Elway said.

Why is that? In simple terms, new head coach Vic Fangio and new quarterback Joe Flacco.

“We have to be able to overcome bad plays, bad refereeing and mistakes on our part. Great teams are able to overcome these things,” Elway said. “I think Vic’s got us going in that direction and I think Joe Flacco has been a good pillar for us. He has experience. He’s won a world championship. He knows what it takes.”

Elway said he spoke to NFL officials this week after Sunday’s loss to the Bears at Empower Field at Mile High.

In particular, Elway said he had questions about Chubb being called for roughing quarterback Mitch Trubisky on the game’s final drive.

The call, made after Chubb hit the quarterback as he released a 5-yard pass on first down with 31 seconds left in the game, resulted in a 15-yard penalty and helped set up Bears’ kicker Eddy Pineiro’s 53-yard field goal as time expired.

League officials, Elway said, admitted they were “dead wrong” on that call.

“So, that didn’t help,” Elway said to laughs and applause.

Officials also admitted to missing a hands-to-the-face penalty that should have been called against a Bears lineman blocking linebacker Von Miller later in the series, Elway said.