After the way the Saints‘ season ended last January, Sean Payton probably thought there was no way his team could possibly lose on a controversial pass interference no-call for the second year in a row, but that’s exactly what happened Sunday in New Orleans’ wild 26-20 overtime loss to the Vikings.
The extra period started with Minnesota getting the ball first, and through the first few plays, the Saints just couldn’t stop the Vikings offense. Thanks to Kirk Cousins, who threw for 63 yards in overtime, the Vikings were able to move the ball from their own 25-yard line to the Saints’ 2, and that’s when the craziness started.
After Dalvin Cook got stuffed on two straight plays, the Vikings were facing a third-and-goal from the 4, and that’s when this happened:
That’s a 4-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Kyle Rudolph that ended up winning the game for Minnesota, but you could certainly argue that it shouldn’t have.
On the play, Rudolph clearly extends his arm to keep Saints cornerback P.J. Williams at bay.
If an offensive player fully extends his arm like that, it’s supposed to be grounds for offensive pass interference. Although the play was reviewed, the NFL’s vice president of officiating, Al Riveron, decided to let the call on the field stand.
“We looked at all angles that Fox afforded us, and Fox gave us some great views,” Riveron said in the pool report. “There is contact by both players, but none of that contact rises to the level of a foul. This is consistent with what we’ve done all year long, we left the ruling on the field. We let it stand. Continue Reading
