NFL VP of Officiating Says It Wasn’t Offensive Pass Interference in Vikings Upset Win
Kirk Cousins threw a touchdown to Kyle Rudolph in shocking overtime win against the Saints on Sunday. While we cheered in disbelief, there was a moment where we thought it might come back as pass interference. Kyle Rudolph extended his arm against his defender keeping him away as he caught the ball for the touchdown.
Saints fans wanted an offensive pass interference call. It was a missed pass interference call that blew the Saints playoff chances last year:
Now compare that clip with last Sunday's play.
If you're a Saints fan, you are probably upset, saying it was clearly offensive pass interference. A Vikings fan (like myself) would say that it's just playing the game and this is nowhere near as blatant as the last year's missed call. Really, it isn't even comparable to me.
But what do the officials say? According to CBS Sports, The Vice President of NFL Officiating Al Riveron says there wasn't enough contact to call a foul, and he agrees with the no call on the field. While during the game we thought that there was no official review, Al Riveron says he was able to see the replays quick enough and it didn't warrant a call. Even during the broadcast color commentator Troy Aikman said from what we've seen during this year, you can't call OPI on that.
Experts are split across the league. Really, the call could have probably gone either way, but fortunately for us Vikings fans it went their way this time.