In today’s NFL, it’s legal to grab Sam Darnold by the facemask or try to remove his head. However, the league draws the line at hitting his receiver in the chest on fourth-and-one.
The Minnesota Vikings have had some strange calls go against them this year. Even last week, one of Darnold’s three picks wasn’t intercepted but stood after review.
But on Sunday, the Vikings cashed in their referee karma in their 23-13 win over Tennessee.
“We had two officials call it,” referee Clete Blakeman said in a pool report, adding that the league didn’t use replay assist. “Essentially, the defensive player launched into the receiver – who is considered a defenseless player – and there was helmet contact to the chest and neck area.”
It wasn’t just Addison’s touchdown catch. The Vikings also benefitted from a phantom horsecollar on Brandon Powell’s return and a ticky-tack illegal formation call on Calvin Ridley’s 51-yard touchdown. The Titans finished with 13 penalties for 91 yards; Minnesota had three for 35.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many game-changing critical penalties called against a team,” one of the CBS announcers said during the broadcast.
Titans coach Brian Callahan didn’t have an explanation for the three illegal formation penalties the officials assessed Tennessee on Sunday. However, he was most upset with the call on Mike Brown for hitting Addison in the end zone. Callahan argued like a baseball manager, rushing onto the field and drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
However, the ball was already at the one-yard line, and the officials gave the Vikings another set of downs on the unnecessary roughness call. Therefore, the unsportsmanlike call on Callahan amounted to a quarter-yard penalty. Addison scored on the next play to put the Vikings up 13-3.
“They get in those moments, and they just let you yell at them,” Callahan said. “They don’t really say much. So, at that point, the call had already been made. We already had a first down, so I figured I’d let them hear. It wasn’t going to cost me anything at that point.”
By beating Tennessee, the Vikings completed their AFC South sweep. However, they haven’t had a blowout win since beating the Houston Texans 34-7 in Week 3. Minnesota has won three times since losing twice in five days. Still, their three most recent wins haven’t been inspiring. They beat 39-year-old Joe Flacco and the Indianapolis Colts, 21-13, and Darnold looked like he had regressed in Minnesota’s 12-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Darnold committed his 14th giveaway on a poor pitch to Aaron Jones on Minnesota’s first drive. However, he didn’t commit a turnover the rest of the game and finished 20 of 32 for 246 yards and two touchdowns. Darnold’s scrambling throw to Trent Sherfield Jr. on third-and-six late in the first quarter might be his best play of the year.
“I thought his feet and eyes were really good,” said Kevin O’Connell. “[And] his ability to extend some plays [against] a good front.”
Still, it feels like the Vikings are bursting at the seams. They gave up a 98-yard touchdown to Will Levis, John Parker Romo missed an extra point, and the officials repeatedly bailed them out with penalty calls.
The Vikings may have swept the AFC South, but they have gotten away from the team they were when they blew out Houston. Minnesota needs to get right soon because they head to Soldier Field next week and then play better competition afterward. The Vikings can’t keep playing like this and expect to win the rest of the season.
