Inside The Vikings

Rams' Byron Young fined for uncalled facemask on Sam Darnold

The play resulted in a safety and eliminated any hopes of a Vikings comeback.

Nolan O'Hara

Sam Darnold's facemask was grabbed with no call.
Sam Darnold's facemask was grabbed with no call. / NFL / Amazon Prime Video
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It somehow went uncalled on the field, but the NFL deemed it worthy of a fine.

Los Angeles Rams linebacker Byron Young was fined $7,014.19 for his facemask tackle of Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold in the final minutes of Minnesota's 30-20 loss to the Rams on Oct. 17 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The facemask went uncalled on the field, resulting in a sack and safety that eliminated any hopes of a late Vikings comeback.

In the pool report after the game, official Tra Blake claimed none of the officials had a view of the play despite it appearing to be an obvious call, saying "we couldn't see it." The play was not reviewable, and the Rams kneeled it out after the safety.

Two Vikings were also fined for their actions during the Rams game: linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. and running back Aaron Jones. Pace was fined $5,120 for a facemask on Rams running back Kyren Williams during the first quarter. The officials did see that one and called the penalty, which came during the Rams' first drive of the game. They scored to tie it 7-7.

Jones was fined $11,817 for a low block during the Vikings' opening drive of the game. Jones was not called for a penalty on the play, which resulted in a 5-yard touchdown pass from Darnold to Josh Oliver for the game's opening points.

The loss to the Rams was the Vikings' second straight, and they'll be looking to get back on track when they host the Indianapolis Colts for a 7:20 p.m. kickoff Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

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