NFL admits it f'd up on Reichard's missed FG
Not sure if this is official or not...but we had not heard boo on this very important subject:
The League Broke Its Silence on the Controversial Vikings Field Goal, Admitting to a “Critical Anomaly” That Changes EVERYTHING.
Posted on October 6, 2025 - 3:18 pm by Huynh Mai
In a stunning development following the Minnesota Vikings’ nail-biting 21-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, the NFL has finally broken its silence on the controversial missed field goal by kicker Will Reichard. What initially appeared to be a routine wide-right shank from 51 yards out in the fourth quarter—trailing 17-14 with under 10 minutes remaining—has been revealed as something far more sinister: a “critical anomaly” caused by the ball striking an overhead camera cable. This admission not only vindicates Reichard but could reshape how the league handles in-game interference, potentially setting precedents for reviews, equipment protocols, and even international game logistics.NFL game ticketsBest video game consoles
In a stunning development following the Minnesota Vikings’ nail-biting 21-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, the NFL has finally broken its silence on the controversial missed field goal by kicker Will Reichard. What initially appeared to be a routine wide-right shank from 51 yards out in the fourth quarter—trailing 17-14 with under 10 minutes remaining—has been revealed as something far more sinister: a “critical anomaly” caused by the ball striking an overhead camera cable. This admission not only vindicates Reichard but could reshape how the league handles in-game interference, potentially setting precedents for reviews, equipment protocols, and even international game logistics.NFL game ticketsBest video game consoles
The play unfolded at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London during the Vikings’ international matchup. Reichard’s kick, his first miss of the season after going a perfect 8-for-8 on field goals entering the game, looked on line before veering sharply right, handing possession back to the Browns with prime field position and maintaining their three-point edge. Social media erupted almost immediately post-game, with fans and analysts sharing slow-motion clips clearly showing the football ricocheting off a Skycam support wire suspended above the field—a setup more prone to issues in overseas venues like this one. According to NFL Rule 7, Section 2, Article 7, if the ball contacts overhead equipment like a camera cable after being kicked, the play should be nullified, and the down replayed from the spot of the kick—meaning Reichard would have gotten a do-over, potentially tying the game right then and altering the entire final drive dynamic.Best video game consolesFootball kits
Officials and the replay booth shockingly missed it in real time, with no whistle or review triggered, leaving Vikings fans fuming and sparking widespread outrage online. Initial reports suggested the league’s stance was that they lacked a “clear view” of the contact, as noted by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, allowing the miss to stand and forcing Minnesota into a desperate comeback led by Carson Wentz’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison with just 25 seconds left. But now, in a rare post-game statement addressing the growing backlash, NFL officials have conceded the interference as a “critical anomaly”—a term insiders say acknowledges the equipment malfunction’s role in the deflection while highlighting systemic flaws in monitoring such hazards during live action. This isn’t just semantics; it shifts blame from Reichard (preserving his near-perfect season stats at 8-for-9) to league infrastructure, raising questions about why similar issues plagued other games that weekend, like a Skycam deflection in the Jets-Cowboys matchup.
The implications are massive and “change everything” for several reasons. First, had the Vikings lost—which seemed likely after the Browns capitalized on the field position—this could have ignited one of the season’s biggest officiating scandals, especially in a high-stakes international series game where quirks like exposed cables are more common. Second, the admission opens the door for potential retroactive reviews or compensatory actions, though unlikely post-win; it also pressures the NFL to mandate better camera rigging protocols, perhaps elevating them to reviewable plays under instant replay—something not currently standard. Fans and pundits are already calling for accountability, with some pointing to this as evidence of the league’s growing pains in global expansion, where stadium setups aren’t always optimized for American football.NFL game ticketsBest video game consoles
For the Vikings, now 3-2 and heading into a Week 6 bye after their European swing, the win softens the blow, but Reichard’s “miss” robbed him of a shot at NFL history—potentially extending his perfect season streak. As they prepare for a Week 7 clash with the Philadelphia Eagles, this saga serves as a wake-up call: in a league where milliseconds and inches decide fates, ignoring “critical anomalies” like this could cost teams dearly in tighter contests. The NFL’s silence is broken, but the conversation—and reforms—have only just begun
They need to move the sky cam back, it's too close and interfering with play on the field.
Asked Kenny Clark about this play today. He was convinced he was not only going to have his first career interception, but a touchdown, too.
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) October 6, 2025
He also agreed that they were fortunate that the play wasn’t ruled dead after hitting the sky cam.
pic.twitter.com/xpQBTWK9Ji
It's minimally learning for the league as they expand globally...It did not (thank goodness) negatively impact us, so I've moved on from wire gate.
Sadly, it did impact Wills statistics for the year.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Yeah, I'm leaning more toward the ball not hitting the wire at all. First of all, it just doesn't make sense that NOBODY would've seen that. Second, I've read some twitter posts from people who looked into this and they're saying the camera wires are nowhere near the trajectory of the football—that they are in fact behind the kicker. The camera angle only made it look like it was between Reichard and the goal posts.
There is no doubt that the ball hit the cable. Unless the camera operator had an ulterior motive the camera should have been behind the offense which would have put the cables out of the way. With all the gambling going on now I think we haven't seen the half of it yet.
Yes, the article has to be fake. If you are the owner of a $100 billion industry that can be duplicated in anybody's back yard would you respond to the criticism or just wait until it just goes away?
MaroonBells wrote:
Yeah, I'm leaning more toward the ball not hitting the wire at all. First of all, it just doesn't make sense that NOBODY would've seen that. Second, I've read some twitter posts from people who looked into this and they're saying the camera wires are nowhere near the trajectory of the football—that they are in fact behind the kicker. The camera angle only made it look like it was between Reichard and the goal posts.
those cables run the entire length of the stadium, if the camera was lowered down to get a low angle shot from behind Will then its certainly possible that they would have been in a position to get hit by the ball. I've seen those things all the way down on the playing surface when they are working on the camera so they have the ability to get that low. I typically would agree that its not likely, except seeing that batted pass later that day hit the camera that was set up behind the play, and it wasnt a super long kick so its not like Will had to try and keep a low trajectory. the images and video I have seen sure looks like it hit the wire.
Why isn't Chuck Foreman in the Hall of Fame?
Think about it, each of the four cables are connected to a reel, up high, by a corner of the field area. So if the camera was behind the kicker then we would not see a cable crossing the field if we are viewing from behind the kicker. That camera was not behind the kicker, not even close. We were viewing that play from behind the kicker on a different camera, not the skycam.
MaroonBells wrote:
Yeah, I'm leaning more toward the ball not hitting the wire at all. First of all, it just doesn't make sense that NOBODY would've seen that. Second, I've read some twitter posts from people who looked into this and they're saying the camera wires are nowhere near the trajectory of the football—that they are in fact behind the kicker. The camera angle only made it look like it was between Reichard and the goal posts.
I don't know, go watch the replay of the kick from behind Reichard. It's going up in trajectory and then when it's in line with the wire, it immediately caromes right and has a different trajectory and spin on the football.
This is all too reminiscent of Seinfeld/Magic Loogie episode....
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
StickierBuns wrote:
Regardless of whether it did or not, so glad it didn't influence the outcome of the game.
Possibly could have helped us, had it been 17-17 on the last drive we would not have been as aggressive and playing for the TD. Once we got near FG range we may have gotten conservative and played for the FG settling for a long FG and possibly leaving more time on the clock.
I know we need stuff to talk about but this has to be one of the most first world problems ever lol.
FLVike wrote:
There is no doubt that the ball hit the cable. Unless the camera operator had an ulterior motive the camera should have been behind the offense which would have put the cables out of the way. With all the gambling going on now I think we haven't seen the half of it yet.
I put it on inexperienced camera operators in an international game. The camera and cable should have been out of the way, but it wasn't. That is on the operators. The result is on the refs. How can they not see that and question it?
While Tom's post might be from a bot, here is someone with some detailed "analysis" on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCPG-9QPQiA
I might buy his logic, except the flight pattern is not normal, it is not like a toed kick and the wire moves or jumps right after the ball hit it.
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