The biggest difference between the 12-1 Lions and 11-2 Vikings, the thin line separating home-field advantage and a likely first-round bye from a probable path that would include three road playoff games en route to a Super Bowl, is the final four minutes of Detroit’s 31-29 win over Minnesota on Oct. 20.
The Vikings had a 29-28 lead and the ball after forcing a Lions punt. But two Aaron Jones runs and a Sam Darnold incompletion gave Detroit the ball back. The Lions drove for the game-winning field goal and ran out most of the clock.
But the singular moment that most Vikings fans remember came from the only other blemish on their record. Trailing 28-20 to the Rams later that same week, the Vikings were trying to mount an improbable but still possible comeback. It was second-and-10 from the Vikings 5 when Darnold dropped back and was hauled down in the end zone by his facemask.
The penalty was missed. Instead of the Vikings having first-and-10 from the Rams’ 20, needing still to go 80 yards in 96 seconds and convert a 2-point try to tie, the safety effectively ended the game. Had they won, both the Vikings and Lions would be 12-1 right now.
Fortunately for the Vikings and their still-bitter fans, the NFL is reportedly taking under consideration a rule change that would allow replay assist to aid with facemask calls.
“That’s a big foul,” NFL executive Troy Vincent said at the league’s winter meetings this week. “That’s why we would like to consider putting that for the membership to consider putting that foul category that we can see, putting that [penalty flag] on the field to help. There is a frustration, and we believe that is one category we can potentially get right.”
And they would of course retroactively make things right and replay the end of the Vikings’ loss to the Rams, right?
Ah, of course not. It doesn’t work that way and never has worked that way even if these things always seem to work against Minnesota teams.
