It would have been a Very Vikings Way To Lose (TM).
With fewer than 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Browns in London, Vikings kicker Will Reichard lined up for a 51-yard field goal attempt.
The Vikings trailed 17-14 at the time, meaning it was a critical attempt. A make would tie the game. A miss would make a must-have Vikings victory that much more precarious.
It was a long attempt, hardly a gimme even in the modern NFL, but Reichard hadn’t missed a kick all season up to that point. He was 3-for-3 from 50-plus this season before the attempt and 11-for-14 from that distance in his short NFL career.
The ball took flight and seemed to be on a decent trajectory. And then it veered dramatically to the right and went way wide of the upright. On the live broadcast, it merely looked like a mis-hit and/or a ball that got caught in the wind.
But upon further review, it sure looks like it hit a wire — specifically a camera cable — that caused it to change direction so dramatically. Patrick Reusse and I talked about the bonkers play on Monday’s Daily Delivery podcast.
The official party line from the league was included in the Star Tribune’s report on the game: “The NFL’s replay assist did not see a view that showed the kick hitting a wire, according to a league source.”
But that didn’t slow down speculation that it did hit a wire. Nor does it change what most of us can see with our own eyes: Unless there were some amazing coincidence and optical illusion, it sure seems like it hit a wire.
