SI

Egregious Missed Face Mask in Vikings-Rams Game Triggers ‘Fix Is In’ Crowd

NFL fans offered betting theories, desire to keep Rams season alive and more conspiracies after the refs blew it.

Jimmy Traina

This was NOT called a face mask.
This was NOT called a face mask. / YouTube
In this story:

1. Do I think the NFL is rigged? No.

Do I think you can even rig an NFL game? No.

Do I think the refs are completely incompetent? Yes.

Do I think the NFL has a huge problem with its refs? Yes.

Do I think the awful officiating ends up being an even bigger problem now that sports betting is legalized in a lot of states? Yes.

So I don’t think the refs in Thursday’s Vikings-Rams game didn’t throw a flag for a face mask penalty on Minnesota’s last drive while down 28–20 because they were fixing a game. I think they didn’t throw a flag because they are awful at what they do.

But when you miss a call that obvious as the cover hangs in the balance, it brings out the "fix is in" crowd.

Hell, those people now come out of the woodwork BEFORE the game.

The flaw in this logic, of course, is why would the NFL give a flying fudgestick if 90% of the money is on the Vikings? Why would the NFL try to help sportsbooks? But that doesn’t mean the conspiracy theories aren’t fun.

The Vikings were two to three-point favorites, depending on when you bet the game. So there were tons of people hoping for a touchdown, a 2-point conversion and overtime. And they were not happy with as bad a missed call as you’ll ever see in an NFL game.

2. Last night we got the first of what should be many references from Charles Barkley this season about the NBA on TNT and Inside the NBA being done after the 2024-25 campaign.

3. What a graphic from the Thursday Night Football crew regarding Al Michaels's dietary habits!

4. I hate whoever wrote this tweet.

5. The trailer was just released for September 5, a movie that actually comes out Dec 13. The film is about how ABC handled coverage of the hostage tragedy at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

The movie looks excellent.

6. This week’s episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with CBS’s James Brown.

The longtime NFL Today host talks about life before broadcasting, when he attended Harvard University and tried out for the Atlanta Hawks, and what happened when he didn't make the team.

Brown then goes into his broadcasting career and discusses his decision to leave Fox's pregame show to join CBS, what he expects to get out of NFL Today each week, the changes at NFL Today this season with Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason out and Matt Ryan in, what his typical Sunday is like each week and his biggest broadcasting flub, which was an epic 1-2 punch when he did play-by-play.

Following Brown, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week’s topics include the Dodgers-Yankees World Series, a terrible gambling beat, the NFL trade deadline falling on Election Day and a review of the movie Saturday Night.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 40th birthday to Katy Perry. Never forget the time she fought with Lee Corso on College GameDay in 2014.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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