Lost in all the playoff picture drama of Week 17 may have been the worst flag thrown all season during the Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings game on Sunday.
Fans erupted on Twitter in disbelief after the Lions were penalized for roughing the passer when cornerback Tracy Walker appeared to sack Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins on a fourth-and-goal.
The call was so egregious that even Cousins could not believe it.
“I said to the player who tackled me, right away, I said, ‘I don’t necessarily agree with that call, but I’ll take it,'” the Vikings quarterback told the Pioneer Press in Minnesota.
Instead of being a turnover on downs, the Vikings were given a new set of downs and Cousins punched it in for a touchdown two plays later, giving the Vikings a 37-29 lead en route to a 37-35 victory.
While the game had no playoff implications, Lions fans probably weren’t too angry with the call as the loss helped solidify the No. 7 pick in the NFL Draft. The win for the Vikings bumped them up to the No. 14 spot in the draft.
However, it does raise questions about the rule prohibiting a defensive player from landing on the quarterback with all of his weight and how it should be applied. If this had happened in a game with higher stakes, it would likely be the focal point of the league this week.
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