It is not often in my writings for The Sporting Base, that I criticize referees. They have a challenging job on their hands, and it is very difficult to get every play correct during a professional sporting event. However, on Thursday, the National Football League officials made a clear mistake.
With 96 seconds left in the contest between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold was sacked in the end zone by Rams outside linebacker Byron Young. However, it was absolutely clear by the image above that Young had grabbed Darnold by the face mask. In the NFL, unlike the Canadian Football League, the infraction is not reviewable. The Rams picked up a safety, and subsequently won the game 30-20.
At some point, the NFL needs to discipline the officials. Yes, they may not see a playoff game as a result of the error, but when a missed call is seen by the entire world, and not by an official standing three feet in front of the infraction, then the NFL needs to readjust how they officiate games. The bottom line is more infractions need to be reviewable, and not having a face mask penalty reviewable is downright ridiculous.
What was even more bizarre from the incident is that it seemed like Young was expecting a penalty. For a moment, he grabbed his head, and acted concerned that a yellow flag would be thrown. That simply did not happen.
With the win. the Rams improved to 3-4. They have won two straight games, and are now healthy after having star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back in the lineup.
