Redoing the Game

I’m going to talk about the 1/20/2019 Rams – Saints NFC Championship game.  I’ll preface this by making sure it’s understood by all that I am, and have been for decades, a devoted Rams fan.  Keeping that in mind, I’ll also say that the opinions I’m about to give are without bias to the best of my ability.

Okay.  The referee blew the defensive pass-interference call near the end of the game.  That’s easy to write because it’s true – no question about it!  I want to point out that in real-time, it looked like a “bang-bang” play and I really thought at first, that Robey-Coleman made a great play by disrupting the play.  Slow motion told a different story.  Fans can call the refs “dumb”, “blind”, maybe even “biased” with that fateful non-call with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter.  They have every right to do so and be angry over this.  The one thing they can’t say is “It cost the Saints the game”.

Now, let me explain this before you dismiss this claim as a Rams fan’s rationalization. 

So, let’s assume for a moment that the penalty was called.  First down, Saints!  Now, as I’ve been hearing, all they have to do to win the game is run a couple of plays or even take a couple of kneeldowns, and then kick the winning field goal at the end.

This is the NFL, folks.  Fumbles, bad-snaps, and missed kicks in crunch time do happen (Ask Cody Parkey and Tony Romo.)  Yes, Lutz made the kick with 1:49 left.  That doesn’t mean it would have happened at 0:01.  Is it likely that the Saints would have one had the penalty been called?  YES!  It’s very likely, but not for absolute certainty.

Now, understanding that it’s very likely the Saints would have won with the penalty, let me make my main argument – The Saints arguably should have won, anyways.

The Saints, with 1:41 left in the fourth quarter led 23-20.  To win, they had to stop the Rams from scoring in that last 1:41.  The Rams went down the field, and in the clutch, scored the tying field goal. 

The Rams executed, the Saints failed.

So now it’s overtime.  It’s like starting over with a some of the rules changed.  The Saints won the coin toss!  They get the ball first and have the opportunity to just win the game without giving the Rams any chance.  At least, they could score a field goal and put all the pressure back on the Rams to have to score again.  The Saints failed big time.  The Rams’ defense put pressure on Brees and got an interception. 

The Rams executed, the Saints failed.

The Saints can still win at this point.  Stop the Rams as the Rams had stopped them.  Instead, The Rams executed, the Saints failed.

Saints fans, be angry.  I would – in fact I actually am.  Believe me, I don’t like my team going to the Superbowl under these circumstances.  However, I can say that the Saints don’t have excuses.  The Saints had multiple chances to win that game after the non-call.  They blew it! 

If the situation were reverse, I promise you that this is still how I would feel.