With the Rams leading 6-0 late in the first quarter Sunday and the Broncos in a second-and-5 situation at the Los Angeles 44-yard line, Broncos quarterback Case Keenum hit Sanders for what Sanders initially believed was a 44-yard touchdown.

As soon as Sanders popped up from a tackle, he pointed a finger in Rams cornerback Troy Hill’s face, which drew the flag for taunting.

“It was a great throw by Case. I came down with a big play, emotions are high. … It’s not like I walked up to him and head-butted him or something crazy. But it cost my team.”

Said Sanders: “When I look at the scoreboard — we lost by three points — I feel like we could have easily punched that ball in, got four [more] points. I don’t see the penalty in that. … I’ll learn from it. … I’ll keep chugging along.”

The Broncos lost another potential three points in the second quarter because of penalties. As a player you must adapt to whatever the rules are. Is the NFL getting soft? Yea maybe, but blaming the league for your penalty is weak.