NFL fans fume on referees as Derwin James' interception vs. Texans gets overturned: "Glaring violation of the rule"

Derwin James is considered one of the best safeties in the NFL today - as adept at stealing balls as he is at ending plays. And in the third quarter of Saturday's game between his Los Angeles Chargers and the Houston Texans, he had nearly had an interception on CJ Stroud after beating tight end Dalton Schultz in the endzone:

However, officials later ruled that he had lost control of the ball as he hit the ground, nullifying the play. The Texans took advantage and scored a field goal to end the drive.

Many were enraged at the reversal:

More of the outrage can be seen below:

"This was a pick. Derwin James Jr got robbed," one insisted.

"(He) HAD THAT BALL IN HIS HANDS, POSSESSED IT. Don't matter if it touched grass after," another insisted.

"That's bulls**t!!" another raged.

An actual interception happened near the end of that quarter, as Eric Murray picked off Justin Herbert for a touchdown.

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How many interceptions has Derwin James had in his career?

As of this writing, Derwin James has had nine interceptions in his career. His career-high came in his 2018 debut, when he had three. The first of these came in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, when he beat tight end Gerald Everett to a pass from Jared Goff in the endzone.

His next two seasons were marred by injury, however. First, it was a fracture in his right foot in 2019 that needed surgery and limited him to five games. Then it was a meniscus tear that sidelined him for all of 2020.

But since then, he has been back to his usual dominant self. In 2021, James had two interceptions asn the Chargers finished 9-8. The first came against the Las Vegas Raiders’ Derek Carr in Week 4 that sealed the game. He had another one in Week 12 at the Denver Broncos, this time against Teddy Bridgewater, but the Chargers lost that game.

He would have two again in 2022 in what would become his first playoff run since his debut - one each against the Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts. 2023 and 2024 saw him with one each.