The missed face mask penalty made it possible for the Rams to score a touchdown against the Cardinals on Monday night.
With 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles faced a third goal from the Arizona 7 team. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was fired by Cardinals defender Jordan Phillips. The replay shows Phillips grabbing Stafford's mask during the game. No penalty was awarded.
In slow motion, the audience can see Phillips grabbing Stafford's mask while pulling him to the ground.
How could you miss this mask...#Rams #LARvsAZ pic.twitter.com/RoA2bgY9JK
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The dismissal was due to a loss of 8 yards, so the Rams had to accept shots instead of possible touchdowns. Los Angeles led 27-20 on penalties; additional touchdowns are likely to seal the victory over the NFC Western leader. Instead, the Rams led 30-20 on field goal. They eventually won the game 30-23.
Missing the mask penalty cannot be challenged in the NFL, so officials cannot observe the game carefully.
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The NFL rulebook stipulates that the mask penalty should be referred to as "twisting, turning, pushing, pulling, or controlling the mask." If a penalty kick is awarded, it will cause the Rams to automatically concede the first goal in Game 3 of the Cardinals.
ESPN announcers Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick all agreed in the live broadcast that a penalty kick should be awarded. Fans agreed on Twitter, and many were angry at the missed response.
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Some responses:
This is obviously not a mask. #MNF #Rams #Cardinals pic.twitter.com/rzRDEIBvkO
This is so disturbingly inconsistent. It was the referee's job to watch qb and he missed a blatant mask. Should be the first and target ram
The Rams should be able to challenge Stafford's obvious mask non-calling. I have never understood why some calls are not challenging. Everything should be challenging.
This is a big missed call on the mask. The Rams may have lost four points.