In a thrilling matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night, a controversial missed call on a facemask penalty during Byron Young’s sack on Sam Darnold ultimately sealed the game for the Rams.
Despite the blatant error, both head coach Kevin O’Connell and quarterback Sam Darnold downplayed the significance of the missed call. O’Connell refrained from criticizing the officials, stating, “It’s just — I told our team, officiating and all that stuff, for us to talk about that, for us to seek comfort in that, is not how we’re going to respond to this. It’s just not going to happen. And I’m going to do the same thing right now.”
Darnold echoed O’Connell’s sentiments, emphasizing the need for the team to focus on improving their performance rather than dwelling on the missed call. He acknowledged, “The facemask — it is what it is. I thought we could’ve done a lot to not put ourselves in the situation that we were in, the penalty before that. So, we’ve just got to continue to play better and not put ourselves in that situation to begin with.”
Following the controversial play, the Rams were able to secure the win by fielding a high safety punt and running out the clock with three kneels by quarterback Matthew Stafford. Had the facemask penalty been called correctly, the Vikings would have had a chance to mount a comeback from their own 20-yard line, down by eight points with 1:36 left on the clock.
Despite the missed call and the subsequent impact on the game’s outcome, the Rams emerged victorious, leaving the Vikings to reflect on what could have been if the officials had made the right call. The controversy surrounding the facemask penalty only added to the drama of an intense matchup between two formidable teams in the NFL.
