Kevin O'Connell: It looked like he got a piece of the facemask, but they didn’t think so

Vikings vs. Rams: A Controversial Ending and Missed Call

At the conclusion of Thursday night’s game between the Rams and the Vikings, a pivotal moment arose when a clear facemask penalty on Byron Young during his sack of Sam Darnold was not called, leading to a safety that essentially sealed the outcome of the match. Despite the apparent oversight, both head coach Kevin O’Connell and quarterback Sam Darnold chose not to dwell on the non-call, which could have allowed Minnesota to maintain possession of the ball.

Coaches’ Response to the Missed Call

“You know, it looked like he got a pretty good amount of facemask there. Not going to get into the call or no call and all that stuff,” O’Connell expressed. He emphasized the importance of focusing on their performance rather than officiating decisions sbp president. “I told our team, officiating and all that stuff, for us to talk about that, for us to seek comfort in that, is not how we’re going to respond to this. ncaa season 99 standing It’s just not going to happen. And I’m going to do the same thing right now.”

Darnold echoed similar sentiments, indicating that the team did not put itself in an optimal position before the play that resulted in the safety. “The facemask — it is what it is,” Darnold stated. “I thought we could’ve done a lot to not put ourselves in the situation that we were in, the penalty before that how big is 16 oz. So, we’ve just got to continue to play better and not put ourselves in that situation to begin with. urcc meaning ”

Aftermath of the Play

Following that critical play, the Rams executed a high safety punt, allowing them to run down the clock with three kneel-downs by quarterback Matthew Stafford. Had the penalty been appropriately called when Darnold was brought down, the Vikings would have found themselves starting their possession from the 20-yard line, trailing by eight points with just 1:36 remaining in the game.

As the Vikings reflect on the missed opportunity, how can they improve their performance and minimize penalties in future games?