'Worst no-call ever': Controversy erupts as Rams advance to Super Bowl
The Los Angeles Rams can send referee Bill Vinovich and his crew a thank-you card from Atlanta.
A controversial missed call late in regulation isn’t the only reason the Rams are going to Super Bowl LII.
Jared Goff has some huge clutch throws in the fourth quarter and overtime. Dante Fowler’s pressure on Drew Brees in overtime caused an interception by safety John Johnson. Greg Zuerlein hit some enormous kicks, a 48-yarder to tie it at the end of regulation and a 57-yarder in overtime to win it.
But the missed call late in regulation will stick with New Orleans Saints fans for a long time, after it was the biggest moment in the Rams’ 26-23 overtime win to take the NFC championship.
Officials didn’t throw a flag on an obvious third-down pass interference on Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, who blasted Alvin Kamara before the ball got there but wasn’t called, was the play of the game.
Instead of a first down that could have bled the clock, the Saints kicked a field goal, and the Rams had time to tie it with 15 seconds left.
Robey-Coleman didn’t look for the ball and hit Kamara well before the ball got there; it was truly amazing nothing was called.
Ram’s DB Nickell Robey-Coleman must be suspended for the Super Bowl for helmet to helmet of a defenseless receiver on bungle no call #NotASaintsFan #NFLRefsSuck
— Robert Snyder (@rsnyderpsu) January 20, 2019
The @RamsNFL can celebrate all they want, but there’s no denying that the @Saints would have won if the NFL refs would have done their job. Nickell Robey-Coleman’s pass interference goes uncalled…. pic.twitter.com/eKLlGOmBHE
— Bryce Nañez (@NanezArt) January 20, 2019
The City of Angels just had one sitting on the shoulder of Nickell Robey-Coleman as he got away with running over Tommylee Lewis well before the pass arrived — blatant, inarguable pass interference. Game should've been all but over.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 20, 2019
Nickell Robey-Coleman: Literally kills a man on the field.
NFL Refs: pic.twitter.com/9HM4OO6uye
— Will Hughes (@willhugghess) January 20, 2019
Okay but isn’t nickell robey-coleman just the nfl version of John Cena? I mean the refs can’t seem to see him… pic.twitter.com/Mmoexe46nF
— Dashiel Pederson (@dashpederson) January 20, 2019
Nickell Robey-Coleman has cracked the code. He interferes with every pass and never gets flagged #Respect
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) January 20, 2019
The name Nickell Robey-Coleman will live in infamy in New Orleans.
Having said that, what a comeback by the #Rams, who looked so overwhelmed in that first quarter and won the next three, and Jared Goff, who made a couple big-time throws when it mattered.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 20, 2019
That was the worst no call ever on Nickell Robey-Coleman
— NFL Draft Diamonds (@DraftDiamonds) January 20, 2019
A field goal gave the Saints the lead, but a penalty there probably would have given them the win.
In overtime, Johnson’s interception set up a clutch 57-yard field goal by Zuerlein, ending a classic NFC title game that will go down in history.
For good, and for bad.
Saints went out to a quick lead
In the first quarter it seemed the Saints would run away with it. In many ways, it was the complete opposite of last week’s Eagles-Saints game, in which the Eagles went out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
New Orleans’ offense moved the ball, though had to settle for field goals deep in Rams territory a couple of times.
A drop by Todd Gurley set up an interception, but the Saints just got three points out of it. Still, they led 13-0 after the first quarter.
It wasn’t a rout. The Rams battled back. A fake punt pass by Rams punter Johnny Hekker finally gave Los Angeles some momentum, and led to a field goal.
Gurley scored a touchdown late in the first half to cut the lead to 13-10.
Much like the regular-season meeting between the Rams and Saints, when the Saints took a 35-14 lead but the Rams battled back to tie it in the fourth quarter, the Saints couldn’t put Los Angeles away despite a great start.
Rams battled back
The Saints offense, which hasn’t been great for most of the last stretch of the season, didn’t do much after the first quarter.
Taysom Hill, the backup quarterback who ends up in a lot of gadget plays to the chagrin of many people who argue that he shouldn’t take snaps away from Brees, caught a short touchdown in the third quarter.
But there weren’t many sustained drives, until the Saints absolutely needed one with less than five minutes left in regulation.
The teams went back and forth in the final minutes. Rams coach Sean McVay decided to kick a field goal from the Saints’ 1-yard line with about five minutes left, tying the game.
Brees drove the Saints downfield for a go-ahead field goal with 1:41 left, a drive that included the missed pass interference call that will be talked about for a long time.
Given that gift, the Rams had enough time to tie the game and Goff came through. A Goff drove the Rams into field-goal range and Zuerlein’s 48-yard field goal tied it with 15 seconds left. Then in overtime. the defense and special teams made enormous plays to end it.
Goff came up huge. So did Zuerlein. The Rams made the plays to win. The officials didn’t cover themselves in glory, and Saints fans will remember that part, too.