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The officials owned up to missing a facemask call against Sam Darnold late in the fourth quarter of the Minnesota Vikings’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
During a pool report after the game, referee Tra Blake admitted to not seeing Rams linebacker Byron Young grab Darnold’s facemask with 1:46 remaining in regulation which resulted in a sack and safety to give Los Angeles a 30-20 lead.
“The quarterback was facing the opposite direction from me, so I did not have a good look at it,” Blake said. “I did not have a look, and I did not see the face mask being pulled, obviously.”
Blake also said umpire Carl Paganelli, who had secondary responsibility for the call, was also unable to see the play due to the action happening around him.
“The umpire had players between him and the quarterback, so he did not get a good look at it,” Blake explained. “He was blocked out as well. So that was the thing. We did not see it, so we couldn’t call it.”
The Vikings got the ball back at their own five-yard line after forcing a Rams punt. Their first play was a deep shot to Jordan Addison that was incomplete. Minnesota was also flagged for illegal formation, but the Rams declined the penalty.
Young’s sack of Darnold came on second down to give the Rams a 10-point lead. The Vikings attempted an onside kick that was recovered by Los Angeles to end the game.
Most penalty calls are not reviewable under NFL rules, including facemask calls. The officials can review the safety since it is a scoring play, but they can’t overturn a non-penalty call within the play.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters after the game it looked like Young “got a pretty good amount of facemask” there, but he wasn’t going to try seeking comfort in something that wasn’t called on the field.
Minnesota has now lost twice in the past four days after starting the season 5-0. The defense that had been playing so well at the start of the season has given up 777 yards and 61 points in losses to the Rams and Detroit Lions.
Despite being in a three-way tie for the second-best record in the conference right now, the Vikings could find themselves in last place in the NFC North by the end of this week.
The Lions lead the division with a 5-1 record, followed by the Vikings and Green Bay Packers at 5-2. The Chicago Bears enter Week 8 in last place at 4-2. If the Lions, Packers and Bears all win on Sunday, the Vikings will drop to fourth.
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