The Minnesota Vikings shocked the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card on Sunday, winning 26-20 in overtime to advance in the NFL playoffs.
The Saints forced overtime with a late field goal in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings got possession to start overtime and drove the field. The drive was helped by a gorgeous, 43-yard completion from Kirk Cousins to Adam Thielen to set up first-and-goal.
Three plays later, Cousins found tight end Kyle Rudolph in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.
However, Saints players and the Fox broadcast booth of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman thought the play would be reviewed for offensive pass interference, as Rudolph seemed to push off of the defender.
The NFL instituted a rule this offseason to review pass interference plays, sparked by a late no-call in the Saints-Los Angeles Rams NFC Championship game last year.
Instead, the refs did not review the play, and the Vikings won. According to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post, fans were throwing trash on the field at the referees.
Rudolph's push-off was minor; had it been reviewed, it's unclear if OPI would have been called. Former NFL referee and NBC rules expert Terry McAulay thought it was OPI.
It is illegal for an offensive player to extend his arm or arms and create clear separation from the defender. That was OPI. #MINvsNO
— Terry McAulay (@SNFRules) January 5, 2020
But to some, the fact that it wasn't reviewed at all made the institution of the rule only look worse.
Humor me and review that last play, if we're gonna have that stupid rule. (To be clear: I hate the PI replay review rule... and I love me some Kyle Rudolph. But if you're gonna have the rule... go through the process when the season's on the line)
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 5, 2020
look, it's not like he fully extended the arm and created the space to make the catch, and even so, the NFL doesn't review for pass interference, and [checks earpiece]
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) January 5, 2020
ah https://t.co/iJFOuoojaS
No chance they’d overturn that which is why the NFL was dumb to ever put that rule in place
— Brian McIntyre (@brian_mcintyre) January 5, 2020
The Vikings advance to play the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday after perhaps the biggest upset of Wild Card weekend.
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