NFC Championship: Rams Top Saints 26-23 In Overtime, But Controversial No-Call Is Trending

At the start of Sunday, January 20, 2019, there were only four teams remaining in the current NFL season. By the end of the night, only two will go on to play against one another in Super Bowl LIII on February 3, 2019. The first team would be decided in the NFC Championship Game, which had the Los Angeles Rams heading into hostile territory for a rematch against the New Orleans Saints.

When all was said and done, the Rams were the victors, 26-23, as an interception of Saints quarterback Drew Brees helped lead to the final field goal. The Rams took the turnover and drove in place for a 57-yard field goal, which was nailed by Greg Zuerlein to win it.

When these two teams met earlier in the season, it was an explosive affair, as both teams scored a combined 80 points and the Saints won 45-35. This time around, things were very different and it led up to the Saints being ahead by only three points at halftime with a score of 13-10.

As regulation was winding down, the Saints drove into perfect position to attempt to run out the clock and seal the game with a last-second field goal attempt. That was when the controversy came about and the Saints suffered a “super disappointment,” as reported by ESPN.

After the Rams drove down the field and tied up the game with a 24-yard field goal, the Saints started moving down the field and looked to take the lead for good. On second down, the Saints had the ball at their own 44-yard line right before Brees connected with Ted Ginn for 43 yards and the longest play for either team.

The Saints attempted to run some time off of the clock from the Rams’ 13-yard-line, but they ended up with a third and 10 and 1:48 left to go. Drew Brees threw a pass to wide receiver Tommylee Lewis, but it fell incomplete after Nickell Robey-Coleman of the Rams broke up the play.

The thing is, Robey-Coleman didn’t just hit Lewis in the head, but he also made contact extremely early. As the play came to an end, there was no flag on the ground and the entire Mercedes-Benz Superdome was stunned.

This wasn’t called for pass interference by the way https://t.co/j2kSnpBgQd

— NFL Humor (@NFLHumor) January 20, 2019

The Saints settled for a field goal and left enough time on the clock for the Rams to drive down and tie it up with a 48-yarder from Zuerlein.

In overtime, the Saints had the ball first, but Brees threw an interception which set up the Rams with their first possession of the extra period. Quarterback Jared Goff got his team in position, and Zuerlein hit his fourth field goal of the day and it was good for the win.

The Los Angeles Rams will head to Atlanta to take on either the Kanas City Chiefs or New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. Young head coach Sean McVay has put together a great team in Los Angeles and they have proven to be the best team in the NFC after their victory over the New Orleans Saints. In two weeks, they will have the chance to play for a championship, but will everyone get over the no-call?