The Minnesota Vikings were left livid Saturday after a brutal call cost them what could have been a game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Vikings appeared to force a game-changing fumble with roughly 3:30 left in the fourth quarter trailing by eight. Colts running back Deon Jackson appeared to fumble the ball, which was picked up by Minnesota’s Chandon Sullivan and returned for a touchdown. However, the runner was ruled down by contact.
Just wowhttps://t.co/5s9O1PVpbu
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 17, 2022
A closer look at the replay indicated that Jackson lost control of the football long before he was anything close to down. However, since the play was ruled dead on the field, it was not reviewable.
Embarrassing miss here by the officials on an obvious fumble. It would've been a touchdown for the Vikings if called correctly. pic.twitter.com/DE6BQtp8jc
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) December 17, 2022
Sullivan was so furious that he got an unsportsmanlike penalty call for throwing his helmet onto the field in anger. The crowd was already incensed by a play in the first half in which Sullivan appeared to have another fumble recovery for a touchdown, but that too was chalked off after Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was ruled down by forward progress.
https://twitter.com/lowdarkhell/status/1604191285425889280
The Vikings managed to come back with a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the game after forcing a punt on the drive in question, but that did little to calm the fury of the fans or players. In this instance, Minnesota was entirely justified in feeling like they got robbed.
