fix was in

[viking1987returns]

nfl is a joke

[pattersaur]

I normally don't get too bent out of shape over the refs because you could do it every game and that'd be exhausting, but yeah last night was pretty bad.

I was already getting mad they kept getting first downs off penalties all night, but then that no call at the end was unbelievable. Extraordinarily bad.

I'll stop short of blaming the ref or the league for the loss because the Vikings could have played better, but the refs absolutely hindered the fairness and the enjoyment of game last night. That's not a good thing for the NFL.

[JR44]

The only fix is what this teams need to fix their number of holes. Officiating is not what lost the game, we played 3 quarters of awful, uninspired, low energy football and if the Rams didn't have so many dropped passes and underthrows the score would have been much worse.

[MaroonBells]

I normally don't get too bent out of shape over the refs because you could do it every game and that'd be exhausting, but yeah last night was pretty bad.

I was already getting mad they kept getting first downs off penalties all night, but then that no call at the end was unbelievable. Extraordinarily bad.

I'll stop short of blaming the ref or the league for the loss because the Vikings could have played better, but the refs absolutely hindered the fairness and the enjoyment of game last night. That's not a good thing for the NFL.

Agree completely. I hate it when people blame the refs, or even worse, a grand NFL conspiracy. Just don't put yourself in that situation. I really like what KOC said about it: "For us to seek comfort in that (officiating) is not how we are going to respond to this. It’s just not gonna happen.”

That said it's time to get the refs off the field. If a multi-billion dollar enterprise can't afford to pay and train full time refs, then just get rid of 'em. Put one or two guys on the field to walk off penalties and move the ball. Put the rest of them in a room watching the game on video. The calls would happen in real time with virtually no delay. Hey that was a facemask. They would know it as it happened just like all of us did.

[JimmyinSD]

I counted at least 3 missed blocks in the back on key plays for the rams last night, and there were several more times when the flags came out and I was sure it was going to be a call against the Rams but they only called one on us, should have at least been offsetting. I know on one big play by Verse he was clearly ahead of the snap, but once again no call. I typically dont rail against the refs, but I knew early on there were 2 teams on the field last night that we would have to beat, hard to get to down on the refs though because the Vikings didnt beat either team.

[AGRforever]

Last night was bullshit. The face mask was just the icing on the cake. The 10-15 seconds after the play nonsense was also frustrating.

[viking1987returns]

the def holding  early in the game on Murphy second series was a phantom call. what about the ref not being honest after the game saying he could not see the face mask. there are pictures of him five feet away looking directly at the face mask  no player was in between .straight out be dishonest.

[medaille]

Should we have played better … Yes.
Was the game rigged … Absolutely.

I’m of the belief that the penalties in any given game are subjective enough that you can probably call offensive holding or defensive holding/PI on most plays if you really wanted to, and that it wouldn’t be hard for a small number of people to rig a game.

NFL games typically come down to a small number of points. Rigging a game only takes a handful of penalties to be effective. Give the favored offense a DPI in their favor on a 3rd down or two and all of a sudden they get an extra free TD. Inhibit the other offense with a holding penalty on 3rd down and now they’re forced to punt, and don’t get points. I would guess that most rigged games are subtle enough that most viewers could plausibly believe the outcome. Maybe call a couple of penalties on the favored team in situations that don’t matter to make it seem believable.

The sheer volume of one-sided phantom and ticky tack penalties in this game was egregious and not subtle. These penalties were not the normal stuff that could be called any play. These were blatant calls that end up with the announcer or viewer saying “I don’t know what the referee saw there”

[pattersaur]

Should we have played better … Yes.
Was the game rigged  …  Absolutely.

I’m of the belief that the penalties in any given game are subjective enough that you can probably call offensive holding or defensive holding/PI on most plays if you really wanted to, and that it wouldn’t be hard for a small number of people to rig a game.

NFL games typically come down to a small number of points.  Rigging a game only takes a handful of penalties to be effective.  Give the favored offense a DPI in their favor on a 3rd down or two and all of a sudden they get an extra free TD.  Inhibit the other offense with a holding penalty on 3rd down and now they’re forced to punt, and don’t get points.  I would guess that most rigged games are subtle enough that most viewers could plausibly believe the outcome.  Maybe call a couple of penalties on the favored team in situations that don’t matter to make it seem believable.

The sheer volume of one-sided phantom and ticky tack penalties in this game was egregious and not subtle.  These penalties were not the normal stuff that could be called any play.  These were blatant calls that end up with the announcer or viewer saying “I don’t know what the referee saw there”

One thing the refs did last night that I noticed as it happened but may get lost in all the other nonsense, was at the end of the first half. Rams had no timeouts left, were driving, and clock was running. But the refs threw a flag for a late hit that they ultimately picked up (Pace got pushed). But by doing that it stopped the clock and LAR got at least an extra 10 seconds. Then when they reset the game clock, for some reason they gave the Rams 2 extra seconds on top of it!

It didn't wind up mattering because they peetered out but it was a small thing that is just another way the refs can affect a game, subtly but significantly.

[viking1987returns]

Should we have played better … Yes.
Was the game rigged  …  Absolutely.

I’m of the belief that the penalties in any given game are subjective enough that you can probably call offensive holding or defensive holding/PI on most plays if you really wanted to, and that it wouldn’t be hard for a small number of people to rig a game.

NFL games typically come down to a small number of points.  Rigging a game only takes a handful of penalties to be effective.  Give the favored offense a DPI in their favor on a 3rd down or two and all of a sudden they get an extra free TD.  Inhibit the other offense with a holding penalty on 3rd down and now they’re forced to punt, and don’t get points.  I would guess that most rigged games are subtle enough that most viewers could plausibly believe the outcome.  Maybe call a couple of penalties on the favored team in situations that don’t matter to make it seem believable.

The sheer volume of one-sided phantom and ticky tack penalties in this game was egregious and not subtle.  These penalties were not the normal stuff that could be called any play.  These were blatant calls that end up with the announcer or viewer saying “I don’t know what the referee saw there”

one of the announcers  after the facemask  said what the hell