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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Jon Heath

Twitter loved Adam Trautman’s touchdown catch vs. Browns

In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson bought time on third and goal before throwing a strike to tight end Adam Trautman.

Trautman went down to his knee and hauled the ball in with a knee down in bounds, the equivalent of two feet for a sideline catch. The tight end also got his buttocks down in bounds.

The play was initially ruled an incomplete pass, but after review, officials awarded Trautman and Denver’s offense a touchdown. It was hard to blame officials for not spotting the catch in real time — Trautman didn’t even think he caught his body down in bounds.

“I had no idea,” Trautman said after the game. “Honestly, I thought my knee was out. I mean, I can’t really see — I’m focusing on the ball — but then I saw Coach Payton put his hands up for a touchdown. I guess I missed the first replay on the

board, but I saw the second one and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m in!’ So yeah, it was awesome.”

Broncos coach Sean Payton quickly challenged the initial no-catch ruling, which proved to be a smart decision.

“I kind of saw it, and then the replay comes, and every once in a while, it was like that people’s court, where everyone felt really good about it,” Payton said after the game. “And yet, there’s always that, ‘Is it clear?’ I felt — the whole knee thing is important. That was — I don’t want to say it was easier, but it was easier, quicker to throw the flag. There was not a lot of gray area there and a lot to gain with it.”

That knee getting down in bounds was key, as Wilson explained after an eventual 29-12 victory.

“I thought Trautman did a tremendous job of getting his knee down,” Wilson said. “When you get a knee down, it’s considered two feet. Just a heck of a catch. As soon as I threw it, I knew he was going to catch it. We just believed that was going to be a touchdown. Tremendous, tremendous play by him and a great effort by the offensive line giving me enough time.”

Trautman is typically not heavily involved in the passing game — he now has 16 receptions 125 yards and two touchdowns this season. He made the most of his opportunity on Sunday, though, and many fans and pundits likened it to wide receiver Courtland Sutton’s impressive catches this season.

Pretty sweet, indeed. That was a catch that Trautman and Broncos fans will never forget.

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