An obvious missed penalty cost the Minnesota Vikings a chance at a late comeback in their 30-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday. (Watch the video below.)
Fans were furious.
Trailing by 8 points with 1:36 left, Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold got sacked in the end zone by the Rams’ Byron Young, who illegally yanked Darnold down by the face mask.
But officials missed what many thought was an obvious facemask call, and the Rams were given a safety to secure the victory.
Referee Tra Blake said in a pool report that he and umpire Carl Paganelli, who were in the vicinity, didn’t have a clear view of the play, according to The Associated Press. Facemask calls are not reviewable by instant replay, dooming the Vikes to their second straight defeat.
Granted, Minnesota would have faced a very difficult situation regardless, even if a flag had been thrown. The Vikings would have had the ball 80 yards from the end zone with no timeouts, requiring both a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to tie the game and send it into overtime.
But viewers still vented about a missed call that USA Today’s For the Win deemed “egregious.” Commenters on X even threw in a few baseless conspiracy theories.
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