Referee offers bizarre explanation for missing game-ending ‘TNF’ Rams penalty that happened right in front of him

What would you opportunity you do here?

Referees were nan talk of “Thursday Night Football” aft Vikings backmost Sam Darnold was intelligibly brought down successful his ain extremity area by nan facemask to each but extremity nan crippled arsenic Minnesota was starting its last thrust trailing by 8 points.

Referee Tra Blake said to a excavation reporter aft nan Rams’ 30-20 win, arsenic fans were flabbergasted that nan clear infraction did not consequence successful a penalty.

“The backmost was facing nan other guidance from me, truthful I did not person a bully look astatine it,” Blake said. “I did not person a look, and I did not spot nan look disguise being pulled, obviously.”

However, nan confounding portion of Blake’s comments is that he was standing correct behind Darnold arsenic his caput turned astir wholly astir owed to nan facemask successful a 28-20 game.

The newsman past asked whether their unit had discussed it together aft Darnold intelligibly went down and put his hands up arsenic if to show nan referee what had occurred.

“On nan section we decidedly did talk it because they did bring up a concern. We discussed it arsenic a crew, but we weren’t capable to spot it connected nan field, truthful we weren’t capable to make that call,” Blake said.

Blake past explained that penalties are not capable to beryllium checked connected review.

“It looked for illustration he sewage a beautiful bully magnitude of facemask there,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said arsenic he cautiously tried to debar getting fined for criticizing refs.

“Not going to get into nan telephone aliases nary telephone aliases each that stuff. I told our squad officiating, for america to talk astir that, activity comfortableness successful that is not really we’re going to respond to this. It’s conscionable not going to happen, I really don’t person a comment. They didn’t deliberation so, truthful they didn’t propulsion nan flag.”

Minnesota was out-gained by Los Angeles, 386-272, successful a disappointing loss, arsenic Matthew Stafford welcomed nan returns of receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.