Vikings question non-call in loss to Cowboys
Several Minnesota Vikings complained about calls that were not made during the team's Thursday night loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
One call could have changed the outcome but was not called. Trailing 17–15 after scoring a touchdown with less than 30 seconds in the fourth quarter, the Vikings went for two points.
As Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford dropped back to pass, Cowboys defensive tackle Cedric Thornton hit Bradford in the helmet. Bradford's throw sailed high and incomplete sealing the Cowboys' 11th straight win.
Bradford said after the game that an official had told him that he didn't get hit in the face mask.
"At the end of the day, that's a game-changing play and you've got to make those calls," defensive end Brian Robison said. "At the end of the game, Bradford gets hit in the face. That's an opportunity for us to score and tie the ballgame, but it doesn't get called."
"Oh, my gosh!” Vikings guard Brandon Fusco said to USA Today. “They shouldn’t have missed that. I didn’t realize it was that bad.”
The Vikings certainly had their opportunities in the game. Minnesota held the ball for 33 minutes and outgained Dallas by over 50 yards. The Cowboys were also penalized 10 times.
"I don't care," Robison said. "You can look at play in and play out. The problem is the costly penalties that don't get called. When you look at the play that Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott scrambled [for 14 yards on a 3rd-and-11], there should have been penalties called on that play and they don't."
Robison admitted he might get fined for criticizing the officials but said "somebody has got to step up and say something."
The loss dropped the Vikings to 6–6, 1 1/2 games behind the Detroit Lions in the NFC North.
The Cowboys will clinch a playoff spot with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers tie or loss to the San Diego Chargers or a Washington Redskins loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
– Scooby Axson
