A controversial penalty call on wide receiver Kevin Walter erased a game-tying touchdown late in the Texans' 31-24 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday. Walter lined up to the right and ran a crossing route over the middle on first-and-goal at the 1, a bootleg play on which Matt Schaub found tight end Joel Dreessen open in the end zone with 2:54 remaining.
Walter was flagged with a 10-yard penalty for offensive pass interference, taking Dreessen's touchdown off the board. Running back Chris Brown fumbled the ball at the goal line two plays later, and that was that for the Texans' comeback hopes.
After watching the play on film today, Texans coach Gary Kubiak decided to send it into the league for further review.
"I'm disappointed in that, but the call is what it is," Kubiak said. "They're playing zone coverage; they're playing quarters. Kevin's running a shallow cross and he actually runs into a linebacker and an official in there, so we sent it into the league.
"We'll see what happens. I was disappointed. We had a chance to overcome it. We basically had a chance to score twice down there, but we hurt ourselves both times with the call and the fumble."
After the game yesterday, Walter said that he was surprised the call was made.
"I didn't even realize I ran into anybody, to tell you the truth," he said. "Those are (close) quarters down there, and I don't know if the guy fell or what, but the refs called it. It was disappointing.
"I was really surprised. I think (the flag) came pretty late, too. But that's not my call."
