The Minnesota Vikings were the victims of a controversial call reversal during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs over the weekend that may have cost them their second win of the season.
Former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, who played for the team from 2006-10 and is now a radio broadcaster with KFAN103 in Minnesota, took to social media in the aftermath of a potentially season-crushing defeat and laid out multiple mistakes by the referees that contributed to the outcome.
Some horse 💩 officiating but ultimately the Vikings missed too many opportunities #Skol
“Well, this Vikings loss, to me, was a lot of bull s***,” Leber said. “I’m gonna say it. I hate going after the officials in these situations, but come on man.”
Ben Leber Took Issue with 3 Calls That Changed Scoreboard in Chiefs’ Favor
GettyWide receiver Jordan Addison of the Minnesota Vikings catches a pass for touchdown over defensive back Bryan Cook of the Kansas City Chiefs during an NFL game in October 2023.
Leber initially bemoaned a first-half catch by Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson, saying it was clear via replay that he came down out of bounds.
“How the hell is that a catch?” Leber exclaimed. “Everybody saw, across the country and in the stadium, that both feet were not down when he possessed the football. Why the hell would you give him a catch there? That’s 3 points there for the Chiefs.”
Leber next took issue with a pass-interference call on Vikings safety Harrison Smith during the second half, his beef as much with the spirit of the rule as its enforcement.
“I think that’s such a bull s*** call when a quarterback under-throws a wide receiver,” Leber said. “You have a defender in chase. How’s he supposed to stop on a dime, readjust on the receiver trying to come back to a badly-thrown ball and make a play on it, and then he gets pulled down by said receiver?”
Finally, Leber took aim at the most controversial decision of the night — a pass-interference call on Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Snead in the end zone against Vikings receiver Jordan Addison, which the referees later reversed without explanation.
“Then we get the 4th-and-11, Addison vs. L’Jarius Snead. I don’t know. They throw a flag. They converse. They pull the flag, they pick it up, and then they don’t give any explanation of why they pulled the flag,” Leber said. “And then Snead takes his helmet off and you see the referee say, ‘Hey put your helmet back on.’ That’s a freakin’ flag! Throw the damn flag! You have to enforce these damn penalties.”
Had the pass-interference stood, Minnesota would have had a 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line down 27-20 late in the game — a touchdown and an extra point enough to notch things up. Had the referees whistled Snead for taking off his helmet in the field of play, the Vikings would have been awarded 15 yards and an automatic first down, keeping their drive and hopes for a tie score alive.
On a more general note, Leber added that the referees were allowing one of Kansas City’s offensive linemen to commit a penalty on almost every offensive snap of the afternoon.
“And then Jawaan Taylor, [the Chiefs] right tackle, was false starting the whole game,” Leber said. “I even heard [Kevin O’Connell] on the sidelines tell the side official, ‘Hey this guy keeps jumping.’ They don’t do anything about it, they don’t enforce that. The lack of enforcement in this game was just trash.”
Vikings Lose More than Game Against Chiefs, as Justin Jefferson Goes Down
GettyWide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings attempts to catch a pass during an NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs in October 2023.
More devastating than the poor calls contributing to a loss that dropped Minnesota to 1-4 on the year is the fact that All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson strained his right hamstring during the game and is likely to miss time moving forward.
“He’s down today,” O’Connell said of his star wideout on Monday, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “We’re going to have to medically make a good decision and help almost protect him from himself a little bit in a way, where we’ve got to take care of him and get him back to 100%.”
The Vikings head coach made sure to stress that the team won’t rush Jefferson back, even despite needing his talents now more than ever.
“We’re going to do what’s best for Justin and make sure we give him the treatment and plan that is a big-picture positive for him,” O’Connell continued.
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Ex-Vikings LB Blasts Refs for Mistakes Leading to Chiefs’ Win