Saints hosed again: Refs wipe out New Orleans TD with blown call vs. Rams

Jason Owens
·Staff writer
Updated ·2 min read

The Saints got hosed again.

An officiating mistake in the second quarter of Sunday’s NFC championship game rematch between New Orleans and the Los Angeles Rams took a would-be go-ahead touchdown off the board for the Saints.

The play in question occurred late in the second quarter with the Rams in the red zone. Quarterback Jared Goff dropped back on third-and-7 from the Saints’ 11 and faced immediate pressure from New Orleans’ four-man rush.

Saints appear to score defensive TD

Saints defensive lineman Trey Hendrickson and David Onyemata converged on Goff, and the ball came loose.

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Cameron Jordan picked up the ball and ran uncontested down the sideline for what looked like a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Of course the refs blew a call that cost the Saints points against the Rams. (Reuters)
Of course the refs blew a call that cost the Saints points against the Rams. (Reuters)

Except the play was blown dead. Officials ruled the play was an incomplete pass instead of a fumble.

The Saints challenged the call of the field, contesting that Goff had fumbled.

Officials upon review: Fumble, but no TD

Replay officials agreed. They reversed the call on the field and ruled Goff had fumbled, giving the Saints possession of the ball. But the would-have-been touchdown by Jordan was for naught.

Since the play was ruled dead on the field, the Saints gained possession at their own 13-yard-line.

They would not score on the possession. New Orleans turned the ball over on downs on the drive and eventually went into halftime trailing, 6-3.

Payton: ‘So tired of it’

Saints coach Sean Payton didn’t mince words about the call when talking with Fox’s Erin Andrews at halftime.

“I'm so tired of it,” Payton told Andrews. “I'm so tired of being on the wrong side of it.”

Jordan was salty after the game, likening the officials to Foot Locker employees.

In the end, the play didn’t play a significant factor in the outcome of the game as the Rams rolled in the second half past a Saints team struggling without Brees to a 27-9 victory.

But for a team and fanbase still scorned over the blatant missed pass interference call against the Rams that cost them last year’s NFC championship and a Super Bowl appearance, it was a heavy dose of salt on a festering wound.

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