Officials miss two crucial calls in Minnesota Vikings loss to Rams
The Los Angeles Rams didn’t look like they needed much help against the Vikings on Thursday night, but they did indeed get some, in the form of two crucial missed calls by the NFL game officials.
In a one-possession game, correct referee calls are not only imperative to the ending of the game, but vital throughout the contest. There are countless variables that have come out of good calls, bad calls, and missed calls in a football game.
Thursday night was a good example of the bad for the Minnesota Vikings.
In two examples, we’ll examine these “misses” by the game’s crew.
To see a brief video of these missed calls, watch here.
First missed call:
Beginning of second quarter, Vikings 7, Rams 7.
On a first and ten at the Rams’ 34, Viking quarterback Kirk Cousins floats a pass to wide-receiver Adam Thielen along the Viking sideline.
Thielen hauls it in, somersaults under leaping Ram cornerback Marcus Peters, and untouched, bounces up and breaks across the field toward the end zone.
Although Peters’ can clearly be seen doubling back at Thielen while Ram free safety LaMarcus Joyner arrives to attempt to tackle the now-vertical receiver, an official whistles the play dead, taking away an easy touchdown to make the game Vikings 14, Rams 7.
Replays exposed the fact that Thielen was clearly not touched. However, because it was a game official’s “judgment” call, Vikings’ coach Mike Zimmer could not review it.
Second missed call:
7:40, third quarter, Vikings 20, Rams 28
From the L.A. 25-yard line, on a nicely designed screen pass from Ram QB Jared Goff to running back Todd Gurley, Ram guard Rodger Saffold, attempting to clear Gurley’s path, pushes Viking safety Andrew Sendejo into the sideline from the back.
The game ref–ten yards downfield with his eyes dead on the play–keeps his flag in his pocket and watches as Gurley romps down to the Viking 22.
Plays later, an L.A. field goal makes it Rams 31, Vikings 20.
What should have been a textbook call to put the ball back at the Rams’ 34, instead tossed them another 32-yard chunk and put them almost automatically into field goal range.
What’s up, dudes? One guy quick on the whistle and another shy with the laundry?
It may seem trivial to some that these plays are being examined here. But in a game where points were flying high like the Rams 38-31 victory on Thursday night, those calls were truly crucial, especially as they came on such big plays.
These lucid errors took what could have been winning points from Minnesota in one play and then directly added to L.A.’s total in another.
When an NFL broadcaster says things like, “that was a ten-point swing” when a blocked field goal attempt turns into a defensive touchdown, it illustrates the essential nature of the officials on the game.
Next. Ups and Downs from Week 4 vs Rams. dark
Those guys are–in a way that is not always positive–making plays too. It’s a shame when they miss vital calls because they are often in the moments between a team’s winning or losing.
Update: In the case of the second missed call, the officials did indeed throw the flag after the Rams’ block in the back, then conferred, and decided to pick it up and declare no foul on the play.
As the reader (BigBoa) who reminded me of this, wrote:
“Incredible”.