The Thursday Night Football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, Calif., was unlike most other TNF contests because it was a highly entertaining showdown between quality teams. But it was not without controversy.
With under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and with the Rams up by eight points, Sam Darnold and the Vikings tried to engineer a game-tying drive. It was a tall order for the Vikings, as they had to cover 95 yards to score a touchdown.
Minnesota’s hopes for a comeback were immediately dashed by a blatant missed call. Rams linebacker Byron Young sacked Darnold in the end zone, but in the process he grabbed the quarterback’s face mask.
So, instead of moving the chains on a 15-yard penalty, the Rams were awarded two points for a safety. That essentially sealed the game, and the Vikings lost 30-20.
Despite the controversial ending, Darnold felt the non-call only highlighted the team’s offensive woes against the Rams.
“As an offense, we’ve got to just be more consistent,” Darnold said after the game, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). “The facemask, it is what it is. I thought we could have done a lot to not put ourselves in the situation we were in.”
The Vikings started the game on fire, with their Darnold-led attack clicking. But after Minnesota scored 14 points in the first quarter, the team mustered just two field goals the rest of the way. The Vikings finished the game just 2-for-7 on third downs and 2-for-4 in the red zone.
After starting the season with five wins in a row, the Vikings have lost back-to-back games. They have plenty of time to address their issues before a Week 9 matchup versus the Indianapolis Colts at home on Nov. 3.
