Refs Miss Blatant Face-Mask Penalty Against LA Rams To Bury Minnesota Vikings' Chances At A Comeback

Another NFL game's outcome was overtaken by terrible officiating. And boy, would we (as fans) prefer to see less of that …

An egregious missed call became the story of Thursday Night Football's punchout between the Vikings and Rams. Vikings QB Sam Darnold was tasked with leading Minnesota in a comeback effort, down 28-20 with less than two minutes left, but his final drive was cut off after a Rams defender grabbed his face mask, resulting in a safety.

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: Jared Verse (L) #8 of the Los Angeles Rams sacks Sam Darnold #14 of the Minnesota Vikings for a safety during the second half at SoFi Stadium on October 24, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)

It was also the nail in the coffin for the one-loss team — now, a two-loss team — which could have been avoided if not for the embarrassing officiating crew that refused to throw laundry on the field for the blatant penalty.

Millions of Americans tuning into the game saw the face-mask penalty, but the officials on the field — paid to actually call these penalties — whiffed. 

With that, the LA Rams won, 30-20, and all Rams linebacker Byron Young could do when regulation hit double-zeroes was let out a sigh of relief.

(Agree, disagree? You make the call … Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com)

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Referee Tra Blake explained after the game that the call didn't happen … simply because they couldn't see the face-mask penalty.

Just disregard the giant double-sided screen floating atop the field, which was replaying the sequence …

"Well, on that play, 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 facemask 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."

What a pitiful explanation.

Even OutKick's Clay Travis couldn't believe the missed call.

"How do you miss a face mask and give them a safety?" Clay pondered.

"They need Texas fans to throw bottles on the field so this gets fixed," CT proposed.

Inglewood, CA - October 24:Vikings QB Sam Darnold, #14, is sacked for a safety by Rams Byron Young, #0, and Braden Fiske, #55, during fourth quarter action at SoFi Stadium on Thursday, October 24, 2024.  The Rams defeated the Vikings 30-20.   (Photo by David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

Like any loss, the outcome came down to more than one factor.

For one, the Vikings couldn't stop Rams wideout Puka Nacua, who had missed the last five games (sidelined since Sept. 8) due to a PCL injury. 

Nacua caught seven catches for 107 yards. 

Sure, Nacua's a special talent — setting records last year for most receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) by a rookie — but the guy had some rust coming in, so you'd hope to keep him from being the stake driven through the heart of your defense if you're Minnesota. 

You can also blame Minnesota's tepid pass rush, which got zero sacks on the Rams' 36-year-old Matthew Stafford. 

Even without Aaron Donald, the Rams defensive line managed to get three sacks for 28 yards on Sam Darnold. 

Well, two, if you don't count the face mask pull by Young.

All that said, the refs should still have called the face-mask penalty. 

"Refs got paid tonight," one fan said on X.

There's no way to skirt around it when a penalty is obvious, even from the nosebleeds at SoFi Stadium.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell took that missed call on the chin when asked about it in the post-game.

"For us to seek comfort in that (officiating) is not how we are going to respond to this. It’s just not gonna happen," O'Connell said, walking away with a 5-2 record, still sitting atop the NFC North.

With all the clamoring for better officiating, it's time for Roger Goodell to sit these refs down and figure out if they can pass a simple eye exam. 

It truly doesn't get worse than Thursday night's missed call.

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