The New Orleans Saints were once again left stunned on Sunday after suffering a home playoff loss, and of course there was some controversy surrounding the ending of the game.
The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Saints in overtime on a game-winning touchdown catch by tight end Kyle Rudolph. There was some question about whether or not Rudolph pushed off. The play was reviewed because it was a scoring play, but the league decided there was not enough to warrant an offensive pass interference call.
The Game Winning TD catch in Saints vs. Vikings
WOW that was CLEARLY offensive Pass Interference by Kyle Rudolph…#MINvsNO #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Q68nYRjx7S
— Mitchell Renz (@MitchellRenz365) January 5, 2020
Rudolph clearly extended his right arm to get some separation from Saints defensive back PJ Williams, but there was some hand-fighting on the play. Officials typically let that go, and it would have been a surprise if they overturned a no-call given on the hesitancy we have seen from the NFL to reverse pass interference plays this season.
Of course, many felt the NFL owed the Saints a call after they were robbed of a trip to the Super Bowl last year with one of the worst no-calls in NFL history. It was that play that inspired the NFL to make pass interference plays reviewable, but New Orleans did not benefit from that on Sunday.
The Vikings entered the game as a heavy underdog and got excellent play from Kirk Cousins, who made a clutch deep throw to Adam Thielen to set up 1st-and-goal in overtime. Minnesota is moving on, and fans in New Orleans are left frustrated once again.
