In the Los Angeles Rams’ 30-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night, an apparent missed call added controversy to the final moments of the game, reported by the New York Post. With just 1:46 remaining, the Vikings were down by eight points and had no timeouts, needing to travel 95 yards and score a two-point conversion just to force overtime. However, their comeback attempt was cut short when Rams linebacker Byron Young sacked quarterback Sam Darnold, resulting in a safety that sealed the win for Los Angeles.
The issue, though, was how Young took down Darnold. Replay footage clearly showed Young grabbing Darnold’s face mask, yanking his head 90 degrees to the left as he brought him to the ground. According to NFL rules, this should have resulted in a 15-yard penalty, giving the Vikings a new set of downs and another chance to drive down the field.
The missed call was so obvious that Young himself appeared to realize he had committed a penalty, grabbing his head after the play as if he expected the flag. Instead, the Rams were awarded two points and the ball, allowing them to kneel out the clock and end what had been a surprisingly competitive “Thursday Night Football” game.
Even the officials did not deny the error after the game. Speaking to a pool reporter, referee Tra Blake explained why the face mask penalty was missed:
“Well, on that play, the quarterback was facing the opposite direction from me so I did not have a good look at it. I did not have a look, and I did not see the facemask being pulled, obviously. The umpire had players between him and the quarterback, so he did not get a look at it. He was blocked out as well. So that was the thing, we did not see it so we couldn’t call it. We couldn’t see it.”
The Vikings were visibly frustrated, and the replay only added to their disappointment. NFL players watching the game also expressed frustration over the missed call on social media.
While the missed penalty didn’t directly cost the Vikings the game, it did rob them of a crucial opportunity to attempt a late-game comeback. Even with the penalty, Minnesota would have still needed to cover 80 yards in under two minutes and successfully complete a two-point conversion just to send the game into overtime.
Nevertheless, the incident has reignited conversations about whether face mask penalties, like pass interference calls, should be reviewable. Given that the NFL previously abandoned its review policy for pass interference calls after one season, it remains to be seen if this latest controversy will lead to any rule changes in the future.
Three replay angles, tough scene. Feel like the proactive reviews should be able to call this pic.twitter.com/VUpU2C4usk
— Vikings Blogger (@firstandskol) October 25, 2024