After coming up with a big stop on defense, the Minnesota Vikings were given the chance to put a drive together on the offensive side of the ball that would tie the score at 28-28 on Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams. However, the referees had other ideas.
With the Vikings facing a 2nd-and-10 from their own five-yard line, quarterback Sam Darnold took the snap and dropped back into his own end zone with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Darnold was then pulled down to the ground after Rams linebacker Byron Young grabbed him by the face mask.
Unfortunately, no flag was thrown on the play, and Minnesota walked off the field with a 30-20 loss.
Missed facemask call?? 🤔
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 25, 2024
Rams sack Sam Darnold for a safety and the game is over. pic.twitter.com/Rnd81DE5ZS
Minnesota Vikings fall to 5-2 after Thursday night loss to the Los Angeles Rams
While there's no guarantee that Minnesota would have been able to win the matchup in overtime if they did end up tying the game on that final drive, it would have been nice for them to get a fair opportunity to at least try to complete the comeback.
It was really just the cherry on top to a performance that the Vikings would probably like to forget. Minnesota put themselves in difficult positions multiple times during the matchup as they were penalized nine times for 50 yards and five of these penalties resulted in first downs for Los Angeles.
In addition to their record falling to 5-2 with the result of Thursday's game, the Vikings might now have to be without Christian Darrisaw moving forward after the starting left tackle left the contest in the second quarter with a left knee injury.
Luckily, Minnesota has a few extra days before they return to the field for their next opportunity to get back on track when they face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 inside U.S. Bank Stadium. Hopefully, the Vikings can figure some things out by then.