Vikings' Isaiah Rodgers reacts to controversial overturn of his pick-six

Rodgers' early touchdown against the Chargers was removed upon review. Was that the right call?

Oct 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers (2) warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

It probably wouldn't have made much of a difference in the final result, given how poorly the Vikings played in all three phases in Thursday night's blowout loss against the Chargers. But the NFL replay center's decision to overturn an early pick-six by Minnesota's Isaiah Rodgers led to a 14-point swing that sent the game spiraling out of control for the visiting team.

Just four minutes into the contest, a well-executed Vikings blitz caused Chargers QB Justin Herbert to make a rushed, inaccurate throw. Rodgers was in perfect position to pick it off and run it back for a score, which would've been his third defensive touchdown in seven games. But the ball appeared to move slightly when it came into contact with the ground, and the call was ultimately changed to an incomplete pass — despite Prime Video rules analyst Terry McAulay saying "I don't see enough to reverse right there."

Prime Video rules analyst Terry McAulay: "I don't see enough to reverse right there."

The call was reversed, turning a Vikings pick-six into a Chargers incompletion. 🏈 🎙️ #NFL #TNF pic.twitter.com/HnvR0VxHkj

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 24, 2025

That makes it two times in five days that the Vikings had a touchdown overturned due to a ball coming into contact with the ground during the process of a catch. Against the Eagles, T.J. Hockenson was baffled by his TD getting taken off the board. But whereas the ball escaped the grasp of Hockenson's hands on that play, this one looked a lot closer to being a catch. Yes, the ball moved ever so slightly when it touched the ground, but Rodgers' right hand was on it the entire time.

It's a close play that's open to interpretation. But an argument can certainly be made that there wasn't "clear and obvious" evidence to overturn the call and wipe out the touchdown.

Rodgers thinks it should've stood. After the game, he posted a picture to his Instagram story of a similar play involving Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce that was ruled a catch on the field.

Isaiah Rodgers via IG: https://t.co/hgMN8DDsqi pic.twitter.com/wiJhnTQBXo

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) October 24, 2025

That Kelce "catch" in Week 6 against the Lions has been brought up in comparison to both the Hockenson and Rodgers non-catches. But even though the plays are similar, the comparison doesn't work. All three plays were ruled as catches on the field. The Hockenson and Rodgers plays, because they resulted in touchdowns, were automatically subject to review. The Kelce play came in the middle of the field and was not obvious enough to trigger replay assist. Lions coach Dan Campbell did not challenge, the Chiefs rushed to the line of scrimmage and got the next play off, and the game continued.

It would be a different story if the Kelce play had been reviewed and upheld. Because it wasn't, the situations are entirely different.

Still, that's not to say that the call to overturn Rodgers' interception was the correct one. It's reasonable to question why the replay center felt there was enough evidence to overrule the call on the field.

Instead of a 7-0 Vikings lead, the Chargers marched downfield and took a 7-0 lead of their own. And before long, the game turned into an all-out demolition by the home team.

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