In a thrilling Thursday night match-up between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium, an intense late-game controversy unfolded due to a missed face-mask penalty that could have altered the outcome of the game. The Rams emerged victorious with a 30-20 win over the Vikings, but it was not without its share of drama.
The game-deciding moment came when Rams linebacker Byron Young sacked Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold in the end zone for a safety with just 1:42 remaining on the clock. However, replays later showed that Young had clearly grabbed Darnold’s face mask, a penalty that should have given the Vikings a crucial 15-yard gain and an automatic first down.
NFL official Tra Blake, who has been officiating games since 2020, addressed the missed call in a post-game interview with a pool reporter. “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 see the face mask being pulled, obviously. The umpire had players between him and the quarterback, so he did not get a 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.”
The missed penalty left Darnold visibly upset, along with coach Kevin O’Connell and the entire Vikings’ offense. Despite the on-field discussion among the officiating crew regarding the controversial play, the lack of visibility ultimately prevented them from making the call.
“On the field we definitely did discuss it because they did bring up a concern,” Blake stated. “We discussed it as a crew, but we weren’t able to see it on the field so we weren’t able to make that call.”
The missed face-mask penalty will surely be a topic of conversation in the aftermath of the game, as it may have had a significant impact on the final result. The Rams will celebrate their victory, while the Vikings are left to ponder what could have been if the penalty had been properly enforced.
