The Minnesota Vikings were on the wrong end of a huge missed call late in their game against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, and the referee who was closest to the play had a very simple explanation for what happened.
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 Rams linebacker Byron Young, who reached out and grabbed Darnold’s facemask. Darnold was thrown to the ground for a safety, though it seemed obvious that there would be a 15-yard facemask penalty.
Even Young 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, referee Tra Blake spoke with pool reporter Calvin Watkins about the costly missed personal foul. Blake, who was closest to the play, said he and the other members of the officiating crew simply did not see Young grab Darnold’s facemask.
“Well, on that play the quarterback was facing the opposite direction from me so I did not have a good look at it,” Blake explained. “I did not have a look, and I did not see the facemask being pulled, obviously. The umpire had players between him and the quarterback, so he did not get a good look at it. He was blocked out as well. So that was the thing, we did not see it so we couldn’t call it. We couldn’t see it.”
Blake said there was a discussion on the field because of the way the Vikings reacted, but no one saw the infraction. The play was not reviewable.
Here is the pool report via @calvinwatkins with referee Tra Blake on the Sam Darnold facemask non-call in the end zone pic.twitter.com/AIkExeYz0I
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 25, 2024
It would not be a surprise if the NFL were to look into making facemask penalties reviewable, especially with the way replay assistance has expanded. The league always stresses the importance of getting the call right. In that instance, a replay official could have easily spotted the foul and communicated it almost instantly.
The Vikings still would have needed to drive the length of the feel in less than two minutes, score a touchdown, and convert a 2-point attempt just to tie the game. Their chances of winning were slim regardless, but they should have been given another opportunity.
