The Los Angeles Rams caught a massive break late in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game when they got away with blatant pass interference.
With the score tied 20-20 and less than two minutes remaining, Drew Brees threw a pass in the direction of Tommylee Lewis on 3rd-and-10. There was obvious contact from Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman that should have set New Orleans up with 1st-and-goal, but the refs chose not to throw a flag.
Another look at that no-flag callpic.twitter.com/PQIMkvrMHX
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 20, 2019
In addition to hitting Lewis before the ball got there, Robey-Coleman also could have been called for contact to the head and neck area. A pass interference penalty would have allowed the Saints to bleed the clock down and potentially kick a game-winning field goal, but they instead took a 23-20 lead with plenty of time remaining. The Rams drove the ball down on the ensuing drive and tied the game at 23, sending it to overtime.
Saints head coach Sean Payton was livid about the no-call, and you can understand why. We saw New Orleans benefit from one of the most controversial pass interference calls of the year earlier this season, but that wasn’t with the game on the line in the NFC Championship.
