Vikings Safety Jokes about Now Infamous Play
Do you remember the play during the Minnesota Vikings 2022 season where a referee blatantly and inadvertently interfered with a pass against the Washington Commanders?
Camryn Bynum sure does.
Vikings Safety Jokes about Now Infamous Play
A safety entering Year No. 4 in Minnesota next season, Bynum took a trip down memory lane last weekend and wasn’t afraid to have a little fun with the naughty moment.
Bynum found a tweet authored by Vikings fan Thomas Sullivan, complete with a video of the now-infamous transaction where a referee impeded Bynum’s progress in intercepting a pass thrown by quarterback Taylor Heinicke. The ball was caught near the goal line, and Washington later scored, keeping the game much closer than needed. The Vikings later won 20-17 and climbed to 7-1 that season.
Here’s the tweet from Sullivan and retweet with a caption by Bynum:
And if one cuts through the sarcasm, Bynum was actually correct. In 2022, he finished his second year as a pro with a 58.2 Pro Football Focus grade, his lowest to date since entering the league as a 4th-Round draft pick in 2021.
This season, though, PFF classified Bynum as the 21st-best safety in all the land. Bynum produced an impressive rookie campaign in 2021 and appeared to regress in Ed Donatell’s scheme as a sophomore but became a dark horse Pro Bowl contender inside Brian Flores’ 2023 defense.
He’s also a big-play merchant, accountable for two crucial picks versus the San Francisco 49ers last October — a win that turned the Vikings’ year around for a few weeks. The California alumnus may not be totally known around the league as of yet, but his performance in 2023 helped move the needle.
All told in 2023, Bynum registered 137 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions, and a 98.9 passer-rating-against. It was an impressive third act and one that unquestionably put Bynum on deck to start once again in 2024.
Meanwhile, Bynum’s boss, the aforementioned Flores, appears to be staying put with the Vikings. Many expected the former Miami Dolphins skipper to command head coaching interest around the NFL in January, but no interviews occurred, or at least none were made public. Flores turned the Vikings’ defense around from ninth-worst in the business per DVOA to 11th-best in one year. Some have whispered that Flores could jump at a head coaching job at Boston College, his alma mater, after head coach Jeff Hafley bolted for the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator job last week. But that’s merely speculative as of early February.
Bynum is under contract in Minnesota until the end of 2024. In theory, he could fetch an extension this offseason like teammate Josh Metellus last autumn.
He’ll turn 26 in July.
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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 Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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