At the most basic level, the failure of the officials to see what everyone else saw on the game-clinching safety in Vikings-Rams — a face mask foul that went uncalled — ending Minnesota’s chance to erase an eight-point deficit and force overtime.
At a deeper level, the play short-circuited Minnesota’s slim but not impossible chance to cover the spread, which as of the last time I noticed was 2.5 points.
At a more problematic level, quarterback Sam Darnold had a consensus passing-yardage prop bet of 249.5. At the time of the safety, he had 240 passing yards.
Even if the Vikings hadn’t scored, Darnold was 10 yards away from hitting the over. But he lost the chance to do it, because the NFL inexplicably has failed to make face mask fouls subject to replay review.
Referee Tra Blake said it himself. He didn’t see it. The umpire also didn’t see it. Everyone else who was watching the game did.
It’s not acceptable, not when the NFL is stuffing its pockets with gambling money. Not when pregame shows are telling viewers (and would-be bettors) on whether various prop bets will or won’t hit. And not when owners are allowed to buy up to five percent of any company that operates a sports book.
Those bets as to Darnold’s passing-yardage prop lost because, ultimately, the officials failed to do their jobs. And because the NFL has failed to include within the get-it-right safety net the ability to drop a flag that hadn’t been dropped by the people whose job it is to drop them.
It’s just a matter of time before one of these glitches blows up on the league, in the form of a class-action lawsuit. Each avoidable blunder that turns a potentially winning wager into a loser could be the centerpiece for litigation that could cost the league a lot of money.
A lot more money than it would cost to fix the flaws that are hiding in plain sight.
