The Vikings’ London game vs. the Saints resulted in a 28-25 win, but some New Orleans faithful aren’t happy with how the final result came to be — particularly on Minnesota’s penultimate offensive drive.
Two questionable penalties on the Saints defense — including a phantom call on safety Tyrann Mathieu — helped Minnesota to take the lead with a go-ahead 3-yard touchdown run by Justin Jefferson. That gave the Vikings a 25-22 lead (following a missed point-after attempt by Greg Joseph) instead of giving the Saints the ball back.
The first call was arguably the more impactful of the two: It occurred around the 5 1/2-minute mark left in the fourth quarter, on the same play Kirk Cousins’ pass attempt to Adam Thielen fell incomplete. But officials flagged Mathieu for illegal hands to the face vs. Jefferson, giving Minnesota an automatic first down and 5 yards to the New Orleans’ 46-yard line.
Except, Mathieu didn’t put his hands in Jefferson’s face: He simply jammed him in the shoulder.
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This was called illegal hands to the face on @Mathieu_Era ?pic.twitter.com/rRlCmEAtI3
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 2, 2022
After the game, Mathieu told reporters he didn’t commit the penalty.
“I don’t think I touched him in the face. I know I didn’t.” Tyrann Mathieu
— Rod Walker (@RodWalkerNola) October 2, 2022
Three plays later, the Vikings faced third-and-8 from the Saints’ 44-yard line. Cousins targeted Thielen deep on the play, with the ball falling incomplete. But the Saints again faced two penalties: holding on Paulson Adebo and pass interference on Marshon Lattimore.
Minnesota accepted the latter of the two penalties, setting up first-and-goal from the 3-yard line. One play later, Jefferson took a jet sweep for the 3-yard go-ahead touchdown. But rules expert Mike Pereira said on the air that he would have left that as a no-call, considering Thielen grabbed Lattimore’s facemask on the play:
How is this a foul on Lattimore? Thielen rips his face off pic.twitter.com/gZLHtjzkP0
— choke (@cartermacg) October 2, 2022
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That combination of calls helped Minnesota to take the lead with 4:15 left in the game, as opposed to giving New Orleans a chance to extend its 22-19 lead. It also wasted a staunch defensive effort by the Saints, who allowed only two Vikings touchdowns on five trips to the red zone.
Though New Orleans was able to tie the game with a 60-yard field goal by Will Lutz, the Vikings responded in kind on their ensuing drive with a 47-yard kick from Joseph, his fifth of the day. The Saints’ attempt to send the game to overtime at the end of regulation ended with a double-doink off the goalpost, as Lutz’s 61-yard field goal failed to convert:
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh wow #MINvsNO pic.twitter.com/95JiNNRXoZ
— NFL (@NFL) October 2, 2022
Saints coach Dennis Allen was measured in his reaction to the calls after the game, but seemed to intimate he did not like the penalties either. Per Mike Triplett NewOrleans.Football:
Saints coach Dennis Allen’s body language made it clear he was biting his tongue when asked specifically about the PI call against CB Marshon Lattimore.
“I thought it was a tough call,” Allen said after a pause.
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) October 2, 2022
Regardless, the Vikings completed the fourth-quarter comeback — though Saints fans likely will credit officials for the result as well.
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