Commanders Fans Believe They Were Jobbed
Never mind a referee playing free safety against Minnesota Vikings free safety Camryn Bynum, enabling an inexplicable touchdown.
Washington Commanders fans and media believe they were jobbed by officials in Week 9.
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The Vikings defeated the Commanders 20-17 on Sunday, carving out a 4.5-game lead in the NFC North and a 99% chance of entering the playoffs. Foremost, this was the play where an official ran into Bynum, creating the Commanders touchdown.
The transaction above was met by a generalized shrug of shoulders by Commanders loyalists and disdain from Vikings fans. But there’s no recourse for a referee changing the outcome of a play, so onward the game’s activities went.
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Fast forward about an hour, and Kirk Cousins delivered a pass to Justin Jefferson that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Washington. Yet, the play was called back for defensive pass interference and didn’t feel too controversial at the time.
But Commanders-themed media seized on the play as a “horrible flag” despite vivid visual evidence of the Washington cornerback grabbing Jefferson.
It is unclear what was horrible about the penalty.
Here’s another angle:
And then the flood of angst arrived from Commanders faithful.
It wasn’t just one or two.
A person with the Twitter handle @commanderyear wasn’t pleased.
Andrew Livingston also blamed the officiating.
Another claimed there was “cheating.”
“Terrible” was used as an adjective.
The NFL defines pass interference: “It is pass interference by either team when any act by a player more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage significantly hinders an eligible player’s opportunity to catch the ball. Pass interference can only occur when a forward pass is thrown behind the line of scrimmage, regardless of whether the pass is legal or illegal, or whether it crosses the line.”
According to Commanders folks, holding a wide receiver’s shoulder pads does not “significantly hinders an eligible player’s opportunity to catch the ball.”
Washington now has a 13% chance of reaching the postseason, per FiveThirtyEight.
Vikings Did the NBA 2K Meme
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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