The Chiefs came up with a key fourth-and-12 stop in the fourth quarter of their Week 5 win over the Vikings, but it wasn't without controversy.
And that controversy stemmed entirely from the actions of L'Jarius Sneed during it.
Sneed, a cornerback for the Chiefs, was covering Vikings receiver Jordan Addison when Kirk Cousins heaved up a prayer into the back of the end-zone. There was plenty of contact between Sneed and Addison during the play, and it was enough to draw a penalty flag.
REFS PICK UP THE FLAG! pic.twitter.com/3TF7hEgWKS
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) October 8, 2023
It was presumed that Sneed would be called for pass interference as a result of his actions. However, the officials ultimately decided that there was no penalty on the play.
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Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell did not agree with that decision, as he intimated during his postgame news conference.
"When the flag came out in the first place, I was not surprised in that moment that was called a flag," O'Connell said. "I'm trying to figure out where and when that veered the other way."
I want to be careful on this one, but that was very unfortunate.
It's easy to understand why O'Connell was peeved by that call. It took away a goal-to-go opportunity away from the Vikings when they were trailing by just seven points.
That said, the logic of this decision was explained on the broadcast by CBS' rules analyst Gene Steratore. He said that the ball was likely deemed uncatchable given where it landed and where Addison was at the time of the contact.
That judgment call can be debated, but that explanation is at least sensible, even if it does leave Vikings feeling slighted.
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That said, any qualms that Minnesota supporters have with the officials for not flagging Sneed for taking his helmet off after the play is justified. According to the NFL's official rulebook, "removal of his helmet by a player in the field of play or the end zone during a celebration or demonstration, or during a confrontation with a game official or any other player" will result in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Sneed clearly took off his helmet while arguing with the officials about his pass interference call. Two officials were even seen telling him to put his helmet back on rather than tossing the flag.
“Put your helmet on”
— Bull Run (@defiisthelife) October 8, 2023
#NFL
Unbelievable pic.twitter.com/Cs65Zn1nho
So, that call was certainly missed by the officials. O'Connell expressed his displeasure with that non-call after the game but stated that "it is what it is."
Of course, it's worth noting that the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty would have been assessed after the play. So, it wouldn't have given the Vikings another first down; it simply would have backed the Chiefs up from their own 25-yard line to their own 12-and-a-half-yard line.
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That still may have proven useful to the Vikings, as it likely would have given them a shorter field on their final attempt at a game-tying drive.
But even so, O'Connell acknowledged that Minnesota can't blame the no-call for its failure to execute on Sunday.
"We got to overcome whatever the adversity is and we didn't do enough of that today," he said.
