Jay Cutler stood under center and surveyed the San Diego defense. Down 38-31 and standing on the doorstep of the end zone, Cutler needed to lead the Broncos just a few more feet to tie the game and force overtime.

The ball is snapped, Cutler rolls out to his right, running parallel with the 10 yard line toward the sideline. As he approaches the sideline, he finds what he thinks to be an opening in the end zone, and prepares for a potential game-tying touchdown throw with about 74 seconds left on the clock.

As Cutler brings the ball above his shoulder, hand cocked above his shoulder, behind his helmet and ready for release, the ball inexplicably comes loose.

The young quarterback's hand and arm continue in a passing motion ... without the ball in hand. Instead, that ball is bouncing on the grass, in what little space remaines between Cutler and the sideline.

The Charger defense recovers the loose ball. San Diego ball. 1st and game over.

Hold on -- Dick Enberg tells fans nationwide that the booth upstairs is challenging the call. (In the final two minutes of the half or game, challenges can only be made from upstairs, not the field.)

After a short review, Ed Hochuli comes onto the field, faces the crowd, turns on his mike, and announces that the ball is ruled an incomplete pass, down at the 10-yard line. His reason? When the ball hit the ground, Hochuli blew his whistle. Per NFL rules, the play is dead, and nothing that occurs after that can be challenged.

Realizing he made a mistake, Hochuli admitted as much. We're told that he even explained his mistake to San Diego head coach Norv Turner -- not that it mattered. 

Just like that, the Broncos are breathed back to life. All because the NFL's rules prevented Hochuli from corrected a mistake he admittedly made.

If anyone reading this post follows the NFL more than passively, you know the end result. Cutler gathered himself, brought the Bronco offense back to the line-of-scrimmage, and eventually threw for a touchdown pass and two-point convertion to deliver victory.

For the second straight week, the Chargers not only lose by one point, but also on a touchdown with less than one minute to play.

While the game-ending touchdown by Carolina in opening week was painful, no doubt the Chargers will remember Sunday's stinger for the rest of the season, maybe even for years to come.

No doubt, Hochuli screwed up. Fans always theorize about officials costing certain teams a victory, but rarely is any outcome as blantant as this one.

Some will argue the bad call against Chris Chambers on the Chargers' first possession -- where a ruled fumble probably would have been overturned had the instant replay machine been operational -- equally contributed to the Charger loss. The problem here is so much game is played after the incident, the impact is not as direct on the outcome. Teams can overcome bad calls in the first quarter, especially if the officials assist with make-up calls.

With the Cutler fumble, the effect was far more obvious because of the finality of the events that occurred afterwards. If the call was correct, the game is clearly over. Phillip Rivers would take two knees, and the Chargers win its first game of the season.

Yet, because Hochuli could not correct his admitted error, Denver had a second chance to win the game. Good thing for Broncos head coach Mike Shannahan that Cutler took advantange of the situation and tossed a bullet into the end zone.

In the 48-plus hours since the game's conclusion, controversy and debate abound about the effect of Hochuli's botched call, and the future of his career.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello came out with timid support of Hochuli, stating he was "an outstanding official for many years." However, Aiello also said Hochuli would be marked down for the call, which may "impact his status for potentially working the playoffs and ultimately whether or not he's retained."

Herein lies the problem.

There are two things Hochuli is guilty of: being human and following the NFL's rules.

While we like to hold officials to a higher standard, end of the day, they are under immense pressure to make (or not make) calls that happen at break-neck speeds. Unlike fans or commentators, officials do not have the luxury of multiple angles and slow-motion replays on every play.

Officials in all sports have to make quick judgment-based decisions with finality and confidence. Sometimes, they make mistakes. All of us would. I know -- as a basketball official myself, I know of a few instances when I erred or made a bad call.

While this is of no help to the Chargers, Hochuli's error was human. He made a real-time judgment with the speed of the game. It was a high-pressure situation -- a high-octane game between divisional rivalswith playoff implications that came down to a couple plays to determine the outcome.

Hochuli sees the ball loose, and blows the whistle.

A natural reaction. A human error.

For that, I understand punishment. Okay, dock a few points.  Perhaps levy a fine. Maybe even suspend him one game.

Yet, for Aiello to come out and advocate that Hochuli's NFL career is in jeopardy is quite problematic, especially when he was ultimately doing what the league instructed him to do in that very situation.

The NFL is well-known for taking steps to ensure that all of its rules are properly enforced both on and off the field.

And here we have a professional referee who actually took steps to maintain the integrity of the game.

While there is a lot of grey area in the world of officiating, certain things are black-and-white. Officials do everything possible to follow the black-and-white, not just to maintain the integrity of the game, but to also earn a level of trust when they are forced to make calls in that proverbial gray area.

The NFL rules are quite explicit: official blows the whistle, the play is dead.

Ask no questions.

Challenge no one.

Hochuli did just that.

I don't like that he did that, but it was better than the alternative: ignore the rule and say it was a fumble.

Of course, if Hochuli went with the alternate course of action, the implications would be far more problematic.

Right now, the only true victims of Hochuli's mistake -- and subsequent adherence to league rules --  is the San Diego Chargers.

Yet, if Hochuli went through with the alternative, and granted the ball to the Chargers despite the NFL rules stating otherwise, then the Chargers are the only beneficiaries of his mistake.

The rest of the institution suffers. Integrity would be lost.

And for that reason alone, the NFL should be very careful with how they handle Hochuli's future in the league.

Sure, Hochuli should be punished. But make sure the punishment fits the crime.

His mistake was not as far-reaching as many would think. Okay, the Chargers are in an 0-2 hole, yet they play in a division that is relatively weak. The Kansas City Chiefs may end up with one of the worst records in the NFL this year, and the Oakland Raiders are still a work-in-progress.

That leaves the Denver Broncos, but there is no certainty that they will challenge for the AFC West, even with Sunday's tainted victory.

While every game matters in the NFL, and this loss may negatively impact the Chargers' playoff position, the AFC West is still very winnable for San Diego.

After all, the mistake happened in Week 2, not Week 17. A lot can happen in the next 15 weeks that can water down the impact of Hochuli's miscue.

Beyond that, the real culprit is the league itself. The problem is not the person who enforced the rule, it's the very rule itself. Perhaps we needed Hochuli to make this mistake, so the competition committee can revisit this rule take appropriate action to make sure this doesn't happen again.

Taking away Hochuli's job is not the answer, even though Charger fans may feel otherwise.

The problem is not the messenger (in this case, the officials). Instead, the main problem is the source itself.

And now the source wants to pass the buck and say it was all the messenger's fault.

Yes, the Chargers were gipped big time on Sunday.

But if the NFL goes forward without Hochuli, then the entire league has lost.