
December might be the cruelest month in professional football, as razor-thin margins have the power to start some teams dreaming of the Super Bowl and to send some teams home to start the New Year.
Accordingly, one call—one controversial, could-go-either-way call—altered the fate of four NFL teams Saturday evening. It came during the Texans' game against the Chargers, with Houston driving up 20–16. Los Angeles linebackers Daiyan Henley and Odafe Oweh appeared to sack Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud—only for officials to flag Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still for illegal contact.