Los Angeles Rams linebacker Byron Young got away with what could have been a costly penalty in his team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night, and his reaction said it all.
The Vikings were trailing 28-20 and had 2-and-10 from their own 5-yard line with under two minutes remaining in the game. Sam Darnold dropped back to pass and was pressured by Young, who reached out and grabbed the quarterback’s facemask. Darnold was thrown to the ground for a safety, though it seemed obvious that there would be a 15-yard facemask penalty.
Young even put his hands up to his head as if to say, “I can’t believe I just did that.” No flag was thrown, however, and the Rams were awarded a safety to take a 30-20 lead. They won by that final score. You can watch the entire sequence here.
After the game, Young joked that his reaction had to do with the crowd noise, not grabbing Darnold’s facemask.
“It was just so loud in there had to cover up my ears ya know,” Young wrote on X.
It was just so loud in there had to cover up my ears ya know. https://t.co/R3tfgF79NT
— B.Y. (@byron_97) October 25, 2024
The facemask penalty was obvious, but the officiating crew somehow missed it. One referee offered an explanation for what happened on the pay.
Instead of making an enormous play for a safety, Young should have cost his team 15 yards and given the Vikings life. His witty social media post proves he knows how lucky he is.
