The Los Angeles Rams beat the New Orleans Saints 26-23 on Sunday in the NFC Championship to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LIII.
For the Saints, the biggest moment of the game came not from any play on the field, but rather a shocking no-call from the referees on what looked like a blatant pass interference penalty late in the fourth quarter.
Tied 20-20 with under two minutes left, Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw a short pass to the sidelines to wide receiver Tommylee Lewis, when Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman came flying in, knocking Lewis off his feet in mid-air, as the ball went out of bounds.
Had the call been made, the Saints would have had a first down in the red zone and would have been able to run down the clock and win the game with a chip shot field goal.
Instead, the Saints were forced to kick their field goal with plenty of time left on the clock. The Rams drove into field goal range to tie the game before the end of regulation and won the game in overtime.
After the game, Saints head coach Sean Payton was understandably frustrated with the call and said during his press conference that he had already called the league office about the missed penalty.
"That call puts us in 1st-and-10," Payton said. "We only need three plays. It’s a game-changing call."
—Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) January 20, 2019
No matter what the league office tells Payton, there's nothing that can change the outcome of the game. The Rams are going to the Super Bowl, and the Saints season is over.
