NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints fans are crying foul after officials missed what many are calling an obvious case of pass interference in Sunday's NFC championship.
According to The Associated Press, the controversial play came as the Saints and Los Angeles Rams were tied in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. That's when the Rams' Nickell Robey-Coleman "committed a blatant interference penalty with a helmet-to-helmet hit" on the Saints' Tommylee Lewis, the AP reported.
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Ever! https://t.co/l78L6X1XtA
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) January 21, 2019
NFL fans could not believe that this wasn’t called pass interference 😳😳😳https://t.co/LoZ9fizn5jhttps://t.co/fpRWNtD7YX
— For The Win (@ForTheWin) January 20, 2019
The Saints then settled for a field goal before the Rams followed suit, tying the game 23-23 and forcing it into overtime. The Rams ultimately won 26-23.
Angry fans blasted officials on social media. Scroll down to see what they were saying:
In case you were looking to find a picture of the ref who blew that call...
Posted by WGNO - News With A Twist on Sunday, January 20, 2019
The @Saints got robbed on that pass interference call. Can’t believe you lose a shot to get to the Super Bowl that way. This will hurt forever.
— Michael Irvin (@michaelirvin88) January 20, 2019
The NFL lost all credibility today. The games are about as real as reality shows. The @Saints were robbed. We won. Simple. Pass interference. 3 knees. Field goal from the 10. Super Bowl. The entire crew of officials should be fired. It wasn’t even close. #WhoDatNation
— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) January 21, 2019
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According to WVUE, Saints head coach Sean Payton told reporters after the game that a league official admitted the play should have been called pass interference.
"I got away with one tonight," conceded Robey-Coleman, the AP reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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