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.
RandBall: NFL is considering a change to facemask replay, just in time to NOT help Vikings
Minnesota sports fans just went through this two months ago after the Gophers were hosed at Michigan.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
December 12, 2024 at 5:29PM
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.
It was barely two months ago that we went through this after the Big Ten changed its rules after a botched call on a recovered onside kick in the Gophers’ three-point loss to Michigan.
And that of course came just months after the NBA changed its review system in the wake of a call that cost the Wolves in a Game 2 loss to Dallas in the Western Conference finals.
The Vikings’ loss to the Saints in the 2009 NFC title game changed the NFL’s playoff overtime rules. I would go on, but I can tell you are getting angrier with each example.
All we can do is exercise and eat a healthy diet in hopes of living long enough for all of these miscarriages of justice to even out.
Here are four more things to know today:
- I dealt with an alternate Vikings universe and a concern about Anthony Edwards on Thursday’s Daily Delivery podcast. I was also joined by columnist La Velle E. Neal III for our weekly debate segment.
- Please go read Jeff Day’s tremendous story on Mya Hooten. I will have Day on an episode of the podcast early next week to talk about this story and — who are we kidding? — probably the Timberwolves.
- If Bill Belichick had been hired by the Falcons, he would have coached against Kevin O’Connell this season. If he had been hired by North Carolina a year earlier, he would have coached against P.J. Fleck this year.
- ESPN is reporting that LeBron James is unlikely to play against the Wolves on Friday.
An All-American in gymnastics and the classroom, Mya Hooten's career nearly ended before it started — but two families came together for a life-changing leap of faith.
