Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold didn't blame the officials for a missed facemask call when he was ejected for a safety late in the fourth quarter of Thursday night's 30-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Instead, Darnold lamented the situation that got the Vikings into the deep end in the first place.
“The face mask is that,” Darnold said. “I thought we could have done a lot to avoid being in that situation. We just have to keep playing better so we don’t get in that situation in the first place.”
The Vikings had the ball at their own 5-yard line with 1:46 left after Rams punter Ethan Evans' 41-yard kick went out of bounds down the left sideline.
Darnold missed a first down with Jordan Addison. On second-and-10, Darnold had a few seconds to clear the pocket before Byron Young beat left guard Blake Brandel and caught Darnold for safety, tying the game.
Referee Tra Blake said in his full report that he and referee Carl Paganelli (the two officials closest to the play) did not have a clear view.
Blake said the officials discussed the play after the Vikings called Young's violation, but no one could see it clearly.
Face mask calls cannot be reviewed in Instant Replay.
“I didn't see it very well because the quarterback was facing away from me. I didn’t see it, and I didn’t see the face mask being pulled up,” Blake said. “The referee didn't see it because there were players between him and the quarterback. He was blocked too. So we couldn't call it because we didn't see it. We couldn’t see it.”
Coach Kevin O'Connell said it looked like "(Young) was wearing the face mask quite a bit," but didn't blame him for Minnesota's second loss in five days.
“I told our team that talking to the referee and all that and seeking comfort is not the way to respond to this,” he said.
“It looked like he had been given a piece of the face mask, but they didn't think so, so they didn't throw the flag.”
If Young had been penalized, the Vikings would have had their 10th opportunity on their own 20-yard line, but with no timeouts, they would have needed a touchdown and a two-point conversion to force the game into overtime.
O'Connell's bigger concern is left tackle Christian Darriso, who suffered a left knee injury late in the first half.
Dalisque was flanked by Rams defensive back Jaylen McCollough while blocking a run from Aaron Jones. McCollough attempted a diving tackle on Jones, lost his balance, and fell to the ground.
David Kessenberry filled in for Darriso at left tackle for the remainder of the game. Darriso, who left the locker room on crutches after the game, was also on crutches.
“We will continue to assess that on Friday and here and try to see what that is, hoping for some positive news,” O’Connell said.
After winning their first five games, Minnesota has stumbled somewhat with two straight losses, including a 31-29 loss at Detroit on Sunday.
The Lions (5-1) have taken the lead in the competitive NFC North, with Green Bay (5-2) and Chicago (4-2) close behind.
“I think the mini-bye will help me get healthy and look in the mirror and do the little things right,” said Darnold, who completed 18 of 25 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. “At the end of the day, I think we have to do the little things right and take care of the details. If we do that, we'll be a really good offense and team. “The little things are what we can control.” Toto site
