The New Orleans Saints found themselves on the wrong end of a very questionable call at a pivotal part of the game…again.
The Saints were leading the Minnesota Vikings 22-19 late in the fourth quarter of their Week 4 game in London. On a crucial 3rd-and-8 situation, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a deep pass to Adam Thielen that fell incomplete.
However, the officials penalized Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore for defensive pass interference. A closer look at the replay shows that Thielen got away with a blatant face mask infraction.
New Orleans should have gotten the ball back with the opportunity to melt the clock. But the suspect call wound up leading to a go-ahead touchdown by Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Needless to say, NFL Twitter was baffled and frustrated with yet another controversial call that went against the Saints.
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That wasn’t the only questionable call that went against the Saints, either. Moments earlier, Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu was penalized for hands to the face, even though replays show he clearly didn’t commit the foul.
All 32 NFL teams are on the right ends and wrong ends of officiating miscues, but the Saints certainly seem to have had worse luck over the past four years.
The “NOLA No-Call” in the 2018 NFC Championship Game, of course, remains one of the most widely talked-about officiating mistakes in league history. And that no-call cost New Orleans a ticket to the Super Bowl.
Minnesota defeated New Orleans in the 2019 NFC Wild Card Round thanks to a Kirk Cousins touchdown to Kyle Rudolph in overtime. There was controversy on that play as well, as Rudolph appeared to have gotten away with a push off.
Minnesota went on to win the London game 28-25, moving them to 3-1 on the year while the Saints fell to 1-3.
