The last time the Saints and Rams faced each other, a bad call by the officials helped lead to an overtime win for the Rams.
There’s no Super Bowl berth on the line this time and there’s a lot of football left to play in Los Angeles on Sunday, but there’s big reason for the Saints to be upset with the officiating again.
Defensive lineman Trey Hendrickson stripped Rams quarterback Jared Goff of the ball before Goff could throw a pass and Cameron Jordan scooped the ball up and returned it 87 yards into the end zone. During the return, one could hear whistles from the officials as they ruled that Goff had thrown an incomplete pass.
Replay showed that was clearly the incorrect call and the play was changed to a fumble after Saints head coach Sean Payton challenged the call. Because the whistles blew, however, the Saints got the ball on their own 13-yard-line and Jordan’s return didn’t count.
Plays like that are a strong argument for letting things unfold without a whistle on plays where a replay review is automatic. That’s the case for turnovers and touchdowns, but the Saints only got one of them on Sunday. The score remains 3-3 late in the second quarter.
