New Orleans Saints

Broncos stunned Saints with a heartbreaking, game-winning blocked extra point

Published Nov. 15, 2016 1:40 p.m. ET

Dieter Kurtenbach

Will Parks picked a great game to wear his white cleats.

The Broncos safety scooped up a blocked PAT with 1:22 remaining in a tied game and did a tightrope walk up the sideline to the end zone to give Denver two points and a 25-23 win over the Saints on Sunday in New Orleans, allowing the Broncos to keep pace in the highly competitive AFC West.

The play itself was incredible — Justin Simmons leaped the Saints center to block the kick, and Parks defied gravity (perhaps unnecessarily, who was near him?) and three Saints in pursuit to stay in bounds and score.

But did he stay in bounds?

It's incredibly difficult to tell because the out-of-bounds boundaries are the exact same color as the safety's cleats.

The officials couldn't overturn the call — they had ruled it a touchdown and there wasn't enough evidence to make a change, but Saints fans will surely find these Nikes to be out of bounds. Broncos fans will pretend they never saw these images:

For the Saints, the loss has to be a punch directly to the gut. The score that set up this play was spectacular, a beautiful Drew Brees pass through a tight, three-defender window to set up the extra point and the win, capping off a quintessential Brees drive.

For the Broncos, they escaped one of the toughest road environments in the NFL with a win that even they would say wasn't fully deserved. They struggled on offense for most of the game, but they won't be punished for the poor performance.

Perhaps all because Parks wore white shoes.

After review, the call of the field stands.

Leap the line.
Block the extra point.
Take the lead.
Wow. #DENvsNO https://t.co/yX5QdVQ2Bn
— NFL (@NFL) November 13, 2016