Stefon Diggs scored on a miraculous 61-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 29-24 lead over the New Orleans Saints with no time remaining, and a frenzy broke out on the field. By the time it was sorted out, many players were already in the locker room taking off their equipment. Some of those players needed to come back onto the field so the Vikings could attempt a meaningless extra point, which they ended up kneeling out.
On Monday, former NFL vice president of officiating and current rules analyst Mike Pereira explained why the extra point attempt was not nixed.
About the try last night. The reason for having to kick the try has nothing to do with point spreads. It has everything to do with point differential. If it was spreads you would have to attempt the try in OT. Point differential is one of the tiebreakers used for playoff seeding.
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) January 15, 2018
Of course, it makes little sense that the NFL requires teams to attempt the extra point in the playoffs if the rule is in place because of regular season tie-breakers. Pereira noted that he would like to see a rule change that eliminates it in the postseason, and it would not be a surprise if that happened this offseason.
Had the Vikings elected to kick the extra point, the outcome of the game would have been a lot different for the people who wagered on it.
